Longitudinal Association Between Angina Pectoris and Quality of Life

In patients with coronary artery disease, angina is a very common symptom, yet its impact on the quality of life experienced by patients over time is not well researched. This study obtained data from the Heart and Soul Study, which involved 1023 outpatients with stable coronary artery disease. These participants completed the Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) at the beginning of the study and continued annually for 5 years to track quality of life progression. It was found that angina was strongly correlated with quality of life and physical function, even with adjustment for other clinical risk factors. Generally, more frequent angina symptoms lead to a worse perception of disease burden, physical limitations and worse quality of life for the patients – these findings were very consistent.

This review by Schopfer DW et al. aimed to present longitudinal data surrounding the long-term quality of life effects of angina in patients with stable coronary artery disease.

Key learnings

The greater the frequency of the angina, the worse quality of life is found to be in patients with stable coronary artery disease. Therefore, understanding and managing angina symptoms for patients must be reinforced as clinically important.