Health related quality of life (HRQoL) among patients with vascular disease

Project summary

Patients treated at vascular surgery departments there are mainly patients with reduced blood flow to the lower extremities, stenosis of the carotid arteries or aneurisms of the abdominal aorta. As to Health related quality of life (HRQoL) among patients with head and neck and renal cancer, it is shown that psychological variables have higher common variance than cancer-treatment related variables. Is this also valid among vascular surgery patients? What about general HRQoL levels among vascular disease patients? We aim to do a survey study including patients treated at the Department of Vascular Surgery at Haukeland University Hospital (HUH), Bergen asking about present co-morbidities, HRQoL and psychosocial variables. In addition, we aim to do a longitudinal study including newly diagnosed vascular disease patients at HUH. Both studies will include the patients twice with about one year interval. Hopefully, we will establish knowledge that can improve future treatment of these patients.