The association of quality of life between anxiety and depression in patients with chronic rheumatic heart disease

Objective: The main objective of the study was to measure the association of quality of life between anxiety and depression in patients with chronic rheumatic heart disease. Methodology: Psychometric assessment (anxiety and depression) of the subjects was measured using HADS. Clinical data were collected from the Department of Cardiology OPD of Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi. A total of 500 RHD patients and 100 healthy controls were included in the study based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data analysis was performed with Chi square test and ANOVA using IBM SPSS version 22. Findings: Almost 80% of the subjects were suffering from moderate RHD, and 20% were suffering from Severe RHD. Most cases of RHD were suffering from moderate anxiety and depression levels. Among all the variables of SF-36 questionnaire, only pain was only variable associated with anxiety. None of the SF-36 variables was associated with depression in patients with RHD. Conclusion: It was seen that high levels of anxiety and depression levels are present in patients with RHD. It was also observed that the high anxiety levels in the RHD patients can also be a major cause of depression in patients. The factors related to the disease like physical pain, social functioning, and general health causes high anxiety and depression in the patients when the disease prevails over a long time.