Quality of life improves with treatment in the Canadian Trial of Atrial Fibrillation

Background The impact of atrial fibrillation (AF) and its treatment on health-related quality of life (QOL) is not well understood. We assessed QOL in patients with symptomatic AF participating in the Canadian Trial of Atrial Fibrillation. Methods Self-report QOL questionnaires including the Short-Form-36 (SF-36), symptom checklist (SCL) and AF Severity Scale (AFSS) were completed at baseline and 3, and 12 months after randomization. Results The study group was aged 65 ± 10 years and 59% were male. By design, 50% of patients were randomized to amiodarone (n = 132), 25% to sotalol (n = 66), and 25% to propafenone (n = 66). Most patients had normal left ventricular function (89%). Physical (41.9 ± 9.3 to 43.7 ± 9.2, P =.001) and mental health (47.5 ± 10.5 to 49.0 ± 9.8, P =.023) summary measures from the SF-36 improved significantly from baseline to 3 months. Arrhythmia symptom frequency and severity (SCL) also improved markedly from baseline to 3 months (symptom frequency 20.4 ± 9.4 to 16.2 ± 9.5 and symptom severity 16.7 ± 8.2 to 12.9 ± 7.4, both P