Quality of life and psychological well-being in patients with various pacing modes.

AIM: of the study was to assess the influence of different pacing modes on the quality of life (QOL), anxiety and depression. METHODS: QOL was assessed in 101 patients (58 men, mean age 69.39 +/- 14.64 years) with implanted pacemaker (35 patients received VVI pacemaker, 17 patients VVIR, 21 patients DDD, 28 patients DDDR). QOL was measured by the SF-36 and Aquarel questionnaires, anxiety by Beck scale and depression by Zung scale. RESULTS: No differences in QOL were observed between patients with single chamber and dual chamber pacing. Patients with rate-adaptive pacing had higher scores in SF 36 scales (physical component summary, mental component summary, vitality and bodily pain), Aquarel (chest pain and dyspnea) and they exhibited lower degree of anxiety and depression compared to non-rate-adaptive pacing. Differences were shown only in a group of dual chamber pacemakers, not in the group of single chamber pacemakers. There was a strong correlation between the degree of anxiety and depression and the QOL in pacemaker patients. CONCLUSION: Dual chamber rate-adaptive pacing offered better QOL and psychological profile compared to dual chamber non-rate-adaptive pacing. No differences were observed between single chamber and dual chamber pacing (Tab. 3, Fig. 3, Ref. 24).

[A/B type behavior in relation to changes in the ocular background in juvenile diabetics]. / A/B-typ správania vo vzt'ahu k zmenám ocného pozadia u juvenilnych diabetikov.

Within a broadly conceived interdisciplinary project pertaining to some specific problems of the psychology of health (preventive psychology) attention was focused also on an analysis of interrelations of A/B type of behaviour and juvenile diabetes. The methodological basis were the results, reported in the work of Skorodenský, Králiková et al in 1988 in the Journal Cs. Pediatrie (1). The results of this work confirmed that the Hunter-Wolf scale (for more details of the scale see ref. 1) relevantly divided the group of somatically healthy children into type A and B and that its retrospective discriminating capacity is adequate as regards biochemical, physiological and anthropometric values (specified as risk factors of IHD in adults). Children in Part A of the scale tended to have a higher score of the above risk factors, leading later in adult age to the development of IHD. Obviously only longitudinal perspective research of a selected sample of children can confirm definitely or rule out this assumption.