Summary
We conducted a meta-analysis of the literature to 1) assess the health-related quality
of life for patients with a minimum follow-up of one year after an episode of pulmonary
embolism (PE) or deep-vein thrombosis (DVT), and 2) to assess the HRQOL for patients
who develop chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) and post thrombotic
syndrome (PTS). PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library were searched from inception
to March 30, 2016. Data were pooled using random-effects meta-analysis, and heterogeneity
was assessed with I2 and Tau2 tests. SF-12, SF-36, and VEINES-QOL were evaluated with pooled standardised mean
difference (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Fourteen studies were included
for meta-analysis. In patients who sustain a PE, physical health becomes impaired
(p<0.001, 2 studies) but mental health appears to remain similar to population norms
(p=0.069, 2 studies) after at least one year. Patients who develop CTEPH report worse
physical (p<0.001, 1 study) and mental health (p=0.009, 1 study). In patients who
suffer from a DVT, physical health (p=0.19, 9 studies), mental health (p=0.67, 9 studies),
and disease specific quality of life (p=0.61, 8 studies) remain similar to population
norms after at least one year. Patients who develop PTS, however, report worse physical
health (p<0.001, 7 studies), mental health (p<0.001, 7 studies), and disease specific
quality of life (p<0.001, 10 studies). These data can be used to educate patients
during the shared decision making process that increasingly governs medical care today.
Level of Evidence: II.
Supplementary Material to this article is available online at www.thrombosis-online.com.
Keywords
Quality of life - meta-analysis - chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension -
post-thrombotic syndrome - venous thromboembolism