Quality of life profile in smoker patients with coronary artery disease

Background Cardiovascular patients who quit smoking significantly reduce their risk of a new event compared with those who continue smoking. Smoking is related to poor quality of life (QoL).Aim The purpose of the present study was to examine the extent to which smoking cessation leads to changes in QoL in coronary patients.Material Smoking patients (N = 100) and ex smokers patients (N=100) with coronary heart disease were included. Methods At baseline, sociodemographic and clinical characteristics were established. Generic QoL as well as smoking status were assessed using SF-36 (SF-36 Health Survey) questionnaire.Results No main differences were found between quitters and smokers in terms of improvement in QoL. In fact, some subgroups reported a poorer QoL after smoking cessation: Younger patients reported higher vitality and physical functioning scales, and patients who had low nicotine dependency reported lower generic QoL.Conclusions A high level of nicotine addiction is an important negative predictor of QoL.

Author(s): Tziallas Dimitrios

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