Gender-specific changes in quality of life following cardiovascular disease: a prospective study.

Gender-specific changes in Quality of Life (QoL) following cardiovascular disease (CVD) were studied in 208 patients to determine whether gender-related differences in postmorbid QoL result from differences in disease severity, premorbid QoL, or different CVD-related recovery. Premorbid data were available from a community-based survey. Follow-ups were done at 6 weeks, 6 months, and 12 months after diagnosis. Results showed that females had worse QoL at all three postmorbid assessments compared to males. However, multivariate analyses adjusting for premorbid gender differences and disease severity showed no significant gender-related differences for physical and psychologic functioning. Therefore, gender differences in QoL following CVD mainly result from premorbid differences in QoL, age, comorbidity, and disease severity at the time of diagnosis, and do not appear to be the consequence of gender-specific recovery. However, in clinical practice it is important to acknowledge the poorer QoL of females following CVD.