Impact of balloon mitral valvotomy on quality of life and psychiatric morbidity in patients with severe mitral stenosis.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the quality of life (QoL), psychiatric comorbidities in patients with rheumatic heart disease-mitral stenosis (RHD-MS), and the impact of balloon mitral valvotomy (BMV) on the QoL and psychiatric morbidity.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Fifty consecutive patients of RHD-MS were evaluated for QoL and psychiatric morbidity prior to BMV and at 3 months after the procedure.

RESULTS

The mean age of the study sample was 34.9 years (standard deviation, 11.1 years). At baseline assessment, majority (94%) had New York Heart Association Class II/III symptoms and QoL scores below average, that is, 50. About two-fifth (19 out of 50) of the patients had one or more psychiatric comorbidity, that is, depression (32%), anxiety (16%), and somatoform disorder (12%). Those with psychiatric comorbidity had poor QoL scores in social, emotional, and mental subscales ( < 0.05) at the baseline. At 3-month follow-up, there were significant improvement in symptoms and transmitral pressure gradients ( < 0.05), QoL scores ( < 0.05), and psychiatric comorbidities ( < 0.05) after BMV. Improvements in QoL were irrespective of the baseline psychiatric comorbidity.

CONCLUSIONS

High prevalence of psychiatric illness and poor QoL scores were observed in patients with RHD-MS. BMV significantly improves the QoL and psychiatric comorbidities.