Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dsjbd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T12:20:17.835Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Current subjective state of health, and longitudinal psychological well-being over a period of 10 years, in a cohort of adults with congenital cardiac disease

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 April 2005

Elisabeth H. M. van Rijen
Affiliation:
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus Medical Centre – Sophia, The Netherlands
Elisabeth M. W. J. Utens
Affiliation:
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus Medical Centre – Sophia, The Netherlands
Jolien W. Roos-Hesselink
Affiliation:
Department of Cardiology, Thoraxcenter, Erasmus Medical Centre, The Netherlands
Folkert J. Meijboom
Affiliation:
Department of Cardiology, Thoraxcenter, Erasmus Medical Centre, The Netherlands
Ron T. van Domburg
Affiliation:
Department of Cardiology, Thoraxcenter, Erasmus Medical Centre, The Netherlands
Jos R. T. C. Roelandt
Affiliation:
Department of Cardiology, Thoraxcenter, Erasmus Medical Centre, The Netherlands
Ad J. J. C. Bogers
Affiliation:
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Thoraxcenter, Erasmus Medical Centre, The Netherlands
Frank C. Verhulst
Affiliation:
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus Medical Centre – Sophia, The Netherlands

Abstract

Objective: To examine the current subjective state of health, and the longitudinal course of psychological well-being, in adult patients with congenital cardiac malformations. Methods: Our study concerns the second follow-up of a cohort of patients with congenital cardiac malformations. We examined 362 consecutive patients, aged from 20 to 46 years, who underwent surgical procedures for treatment of congenital cardiac disease between 1968 and 1980, specifically for treatment of atrial and ventricular septal defects, tetralogy of Fallot, transposition, and pulmonary stenosis. The patients were submitted to extensive medical and psychological examination. During psychological examination, in which all patients were seen by the same psychologist (EvR), patients filled in questionnaires concerning their current subjective state of health, using the 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), and psychological well-being, answering the Heart Patients Psychological Questionnaire. The data we acquired at their first follow-up was used to measure the longitudinal course of psychological well-being over the intervening period of 10 years. Results: When compared to a reference group, the patients assessed their state of health less favourably concerning physical functioning, but more favourable with regard to social functioning, bodily pain, and limitations of role due to emotional problems. Younger female patients reported more limitations of role due to physical functioning than did the female patients who were older. Patients with transposition showed a negative trend for their subjective state of health, but reported the least bodily pain. Within the overall group of patients, displeasure had increased, while social inhibition had decreased, over the intervening period of 10 years. Conclusion: Extra attention should be paid to the subjective experiences of young female patients with congenital cardiac disease. The patients with transposed arterial trunks seem overall to experience poorer physical health.

Type
Original Article
Copyright
© 2005 Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Meijboom F, Hess J, Szatmari A, et al. Long-term follow-up (9 to 20 years) after surgical closure of atrial septal defect at a young age. Am J Cardiol 1993; 72: 14311434.Google Scholar
Meijboom F, Szatmari A, Utens E, et al. Long-term follow-up after surgical closure of ventricular septal defect in infancy and childhood. J Am Coll Cardiol 1994; 24: 13581364.Google Scholar
Meijboom F, Szatmari A, Deckers JW, et al. Cardiac status and health-related quality of life in the long term after surgical repair of tetralogy of Fallot in infancy and childhood. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 1995; 110 (4 Pt 1): 883891.
Meijboom F, Szatmari A, Deckers JW, et al. Long-term follow-up (10 to 17 years) after Mustard repair for transposition of the great arteries. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 1996; 111: 11581168.Google Scholar
Roos-Hesselink JW, Meijboom FJ, et al. Excellent survival and low incidence of arrhythmias, stroke and heart failure long-term after surgical ASD closure at young age. A prospective follow-up study of 21–33 years. Eur Heart J 2003; 24: 190197.Google Scholar
Fekkes M, Kamphuis RP, Ottenkamp J, et al. Health-related quality of life in young adults with minor congenital heart disease. Psychology and Health 2001; 16: 239250.Google Scholar
Ternestedt BM, Wall K, Oddsson H, Riesenfeld T, Groth I, Schollin J. Quality of life 20 and 30 years after surgery in patients operated on for tetralogy of Fallot and for atrial septal defect. Pediatr Cardiol 2001; 22: 128132.Google Scholar
Kamphuis M, Ottenkamp J, Vliegen HW, et al. Health related quality of life and health status in adult survivors with previously operated complex congenital heart disease. Heart 2002; 87: 356362.Google Scholar
World Health Organization. Constitution of the World Health Organization basic documents. World Health Organization, Geneva, 1948.
Greenwood R. Living with heart: a study of health-related quality of life in adults with congenital heart disease. Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: the Sciences & Engineering 2000; 60 (12-B): 6020.Google Scholar
Gersony WM, Hayes CJ, Driscoll DJ, et al. Second natural history study of congenital heart defects. Quality of life of patients with aortic stenosis, pulmonary stenosis, or ventricular septal defect. Circulation 1993; 87 (2 Suppl): I52I65.Google Scholar
Lane DA, Lip GYH, Millane TA. Quality of life in adults with congenital heart disease. Heart 2002; 88: 7175.Google Scholar
Utens EMWJ, Verhulst FC, Meijboom FJ, et al. Behavioural and emotional problems in children and adolescents with congenital heart disease. Psychological Medicine 1993; 23: 415424.Google Scholar
Utens EMWJ, Verhulst FC, Erdman RAM, et al. Psychosocial functioning of young adults after surgical correction for congenital heart disease in childhood: a follow-up study. Journal of Psychosomatic Research 1994; 38: 745758.Google Scholar
Utens EM, Versluis-Den Bieman HJ, Verhulst FC, Meijboom FJ, Erdman RA, Hess J. Psychopathology in young adults with congenital heart disease. Follow-up results. Eur Heart J 1998; 19: 647651.Google Scholar
Aaronson NK, Muller M, Cohen PDA, et al. Translation, validation, and norming of the Dutch language version of the SF-36 Health Survey in community and chronic disease populations. J Clin Epidemiol 1998; 51: 10551068.Google Scholar
Ware JE Jr, Sherbourne CD. The MOS 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36). I. Conceptual framework and item selection. Med Care 1992; 30: 473483.Google Scholar
Erdman RAM. Manual for the Heart Patient Psychological Questionnaire. Handleiding bij de Medisch Psychologische Vragenlijst voor Hartpatienten. Swets & Zeitlinger B.V.; 1982.
Utens EMWJ, Verhulst FC, Erdman RAM, Meijboom FJ, Duivenvoorden HJ, Hess J. Psychosociaal functioneren van jeugdigen en jong-volwassenen 9 jaar en langer na operatieve behandeling van een aangeboren hartafwijking op de kinderleeftijd. Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd 1996; 140: 11261130.Google Scholar
van Rijen EHM, Utens EMWJ, Roos-Hesselink JW, et al. Psychosocial functioning of the adult with congenital heart disease: a 20–33 years follow-up. Eur Heart J 2003; 24: 673683.Google Scholar
van Rijen EHM, Utens EMWJ, Roos-Hesselink JW, et al. Longitudinal development of psychopathology in an adult congenital heart disease cohort. Int J Cardiol, in press.
van Rijen EHM, Utens EMWJ, Roos-Hesselink JW, et al. Styles of coping and social support in a cohort of adults with congenital heart disease. Cardiol Young 2004; 14: 122130.Google Scholar
Saliba Z, Butera G, Bonnet D, et al. Quality of life and perceived health status in surviving adults with univentricular heart. Heart 2001; 86: 6973.Google Scholar
van Rijen EHM, Utens EMWJ, Roos-Hesselink JW, et al. Medical predictors for psychopathology in adults with operated congenital heart disease. Eur Heart J 2004; 25: 16051613.Google Scholar