Health-related quality of life after myocardial infarction.

Background: The Norwegian Myocardial Infarction Registry collects patient-reported data on health-related quality of life three months after discharge from the hospital. The aim of the study is to compare health-related quality of life in patients who have experienced myocardial infarction with a randomly selected reference population in Norway.

Material and method: Patients registered in the Norwegian Myocardial Infarction Registry in the period 2020-2023 and a reference population in Norway were sent a health-related quality of life questionnaire covering five dimensions (EQ-5D-5L). Health-related quality of life was measured using the EQ-5D-5L index, which ranges from 0 to 1, and EQ-VAS, which is a visual analogue scale ranging from 0 to 100. Higher values indicate a higher quality of life.

Results: Patients who had experienced myocardial infarction reported a lower average EQ-5D-5L index (0.86 vs. 0.88; p < 0.001) and a lower average EQ-VAS score (69 vs. 80; p < 0.001) compared to the reference population. After myocardial infarction, women reported a poorer quality of life than men (average EQ-5D-5L index 0.82 (women) vs. 0.87 (men); p < 0.001), and patients with non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) had a lower index than patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) (0.85 vs. 0.88; p < 0.001).

Interpretation: Health-related quality of life was poorer in patients who had experienced myocardial infarction compared to the general population in Norway. Following myocardial infarction, women had a poorer health-related quality of life than men, and patients who had experienced NSTEMI had a poorer health-related quality of life than those who had experienced STEMI.