Rationale:
It is unclear if cardiac rehabilitation (CR) improves quality of life endpoints in males ([male sign]) and females ([female sign]) >=70yrs of age.
Methodology:
Analysis of 53 [male sign] (76.4 +/- 4.8 yrs), 34 [female sign] (78.6 +/- 4.4 yrs) completing CR between 2/04-3/05 with pre and post SF-36 data. Higher SF-36 scores indicate less dysfunction. Student's t test and the paired t test were used for analysis.
Results:
Upon CR entry, [male sign] had a statistically significant higher physical function score than [female sign] however there were no other significant differences between genders. There was no significant difference in SF-36 scores between the genders pre, post CR. The males showed significant improvement for all domains of the SF-36, while females showed a significant improvement in all domains of SF-36 except bodily pain, role emotional, and mental health post CR.
Conclusion:
Participation in CR can improve quality of life in elderly [male sign] and [female sign] with heart disease.