Association of patient demographics on quality of life in a sample of adult patients with cardiac arrhythmias

Abstract

Purpose: Identify predictors of quality of life (QOL) in patients with any form of cardiac arrhythmia (CA).

Methods: Data from the Medical Panel Expenditure Survey were analyzed from 2004 to 2009. Patients aged ≥18 with any form of CA (identified via ICD-9-CM codes) were included. Primary outcomes included the physical and mental component scores (PCS and MCS) of the Short-Form 12 version 2 (SF-12) and EuroQoL-5D (EQ-5D) utility scores (US version). Patient demographics included insurance status, urban status, geographical region, federal poverty level, education, comorbidities, and disease-related risk factors of CA.

Results: Approximately 5,750,440 individuals had CA. Non-Hispanic Whites had the highest SF-12 MCS (mean 50.9; p < 0.001 across racial groups) and utility scores (mean 0.76; p < 0.001 across racial groups). Patients with both private and public insurance had significantly higher PCS (p = 0.001) and MCS (p < 0.001) in comparison with patients only covered by public insurance. Patients on antiarrhythmic agents had higher SF-12 MCS (51.4 vs. 48.4; p < 0.001) compared to individuals not on antiarrhythmic agents.

Conclusions: Significantly lower QOL existed in specific subpopulations (e.g., patients with only public health insurance, racial/ethnic minorities, and those not exposed to antiarrhythmic agents) within the CA population.