# The Effect of Age on Improvement in Health‐Related Quality of Life After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

## TL;DR

The study finds that older adults benefit similarly to younger patients in terms of quality of life improvement after heart procedures.

## Contribution

It compares HRQoL improvements across age groups after PCI, revealing no significant differences in outcomes.

## Key findings

- All age groups showed significant HRQoL improvements after PCI at one and 12 months.
- The oldest group experienced a decline in HRQoL scores after one month, linked to age-related factors.
- Disease-specific instruments are recommended to better evaluate PCI outcomes in older adults.

## Abstract

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is the first‐line therapy in patients scheduled for coronary revascularization, aiming to relieve symptoms of coronary artery disease (CAD) and improve health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) and prognosis. Particularly, in older adults, symptom alleviation and HRQoL are emphasized. However, it is not known whether older patients benefit from PCI equally to their younger peers. We used disease‐specific and generic instruments to evaluate the improvement in HRQoL after PCI, comparing changes in three age groups.

Altogether 300 patients undergoing PCI were divided into three age groups: ≥ 75 years (n = 89), 66–74 years (n = 117), and ≤ 65 years (n = 94). HRQoL was measured using the disease‐specific Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ‐7) and the generic 15D instrument at baseline, one, and 12 months.

Statistically and clinically significant improvements in the SAQ‐7 and 15D scores were observed after one‐ and 12‐month follow‐up in all age groups. There were no differences in the 12‐month improvements in the SAQ‐7 and 15D scores between the groups. The 15D score started to decline after 1 month, particularly in the oldest group. The decline was associated with age‐related rather than CAD‐related 15D dimensions.

Our findings on comparable improvement in disease‐specific and generic HRQoL after PCI in older and younger patients are encouraging, particularly considering that the aims of PCI in older adults are predominantly symptom alleviation and improvement of daily activities. In addition, to overcome age‐related changes in HRQoL, a disease‐specific instrument should be incorporated in the evaluation of PCI on HRQoL.

5101114.

The effect of age on improvement in health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)—Do older adults benefit from PCI equally to their younger peers in respect of HRQoL and symptom relief?