RT-14
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Quality of life in patients with
atrial fibrillation
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Berndt Lüderitz, Susanne Herwig,
Werner Jung.
Department of Medicine and Cardiology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
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Abstract
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The efficacy of antiarrhythmic therapy in patients
with atrial fibrillation has been based primarily on objective criteria, such as mortality
and morbidity. However, therapies have also come to be evaluated on the basis of
quality-of-life issues, as interest in measuring quality of life as it relates to
healthcare has piqued during recent years. Since 1948, when the World Health Organization
defined health as being not only the absence of disease and infirmity but also the
presence of physical, mental, and social well-being, quality-of-life parameters have
become steadily more important in healthcare practice and research. Some authors have
defined quality of life as an individuals' overall satisfaction with life and his general
sense of well-being. Most definitions include several such broad domains as physical
function, emotional state, social interaction, and somatic sensation. In some definitions
two additional domains are included: personal productivity and intimacy. Personal
productivity is the ability to contribute to society (eg, work or pursuit of a hobby), and
intimacy includes sexual functioning as well as the ability to be intimately involved with
other individuals. In an ongoing prospective study we are applying two different types of
instruments questionnaires and standardized and validated instruments. The questionnaires
were designed specifically to cover the following dimensions: social demographic data
including age, education, occupation level, driving behavior, return to work and sexual
activity. In addition, several standardized instruments are being completed by the
patients at preselected times. Realizing that as quality of life is a multidimensional
construct, our description of quality of life should take into account many different
factors.
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Key Words
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Atrial fibrillation
quality of life, social demographic data, family interaction, hobby activities,
personality structure, muscle tension, anxiety, Freiburger personality inventory, ICD
therapy, OA
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