Quality of Life in Patients with Pulmonary Thromboembolism and Its Determinants

  Objective  The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of life in patients with pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) by the SF-36 questionnaire and to investigate the determinants of the quality of life.

  Methods  PTE patients who had discharged from Peking Union Medical College Hospital or had visited the Department of Respiratory Medicine between May 2016 and November 2017 were invited to fill the SF-36 question- naire. The

  Results  were compared with the normal Chinese population. Demographic (gender, age, and obesity)and clinical data (the interval from PTE to questionnaire, locations of thrombus, deep vein thrombosis, cancer, chronic heart/pulmonary disease, provoked PTE, transient risk factor, and permanent risk factor) were collected and determinants were analyzed with the univariate and multivariate regression.

  Results  Eighty-eight patients finished the SF-36 questionnaire. PTE patients had lower subscale scores of SF-36 compared with normal Chinese people: physical functioning, 59.8±27.4 vs. 87.6±16.8; role-physical, 30.4±41.9 vs. 83.0±20.7; bodily pain, 67.4±23.6 vs. 83.3±19.7; general health, 43.0±23.1 vs. 68.2±19.4; vitality, 57.3±23.5 vs. 70.1±16.8; social functioning, 60.1±29.9 vs. 84.8±16.6; role-emotional, 44.7±43.1 vs. 85.3±17.7; and mental health, 58.7±21.5 vs. 78.8±15.4 (all P < 0.01). The life quality scores of PTE that occurred more than one year before were higher than those of PTE within one year in every subscale except mental health. Multivariate regression analysis showed that: Age and provoked PTE were associated with general health; the interval from the diagnosis of PTE to questionnaire was associated with bodily pain; the transient risk factor was associated with role-physical, vitality, social functioning, health transition; and the permanent risk factor was associated with mental health.

  Conclusions  The quality of life in PTE patients is generally lower than that in normal Chinese population; age, interval, provoked PTE, transient risk factor, and permanent risk factor are associated with their quality of life.