[Quality of life perception by women suffering from stage III or IV primary pulmonary hypertension and receiving prostacyclin treatment]

Abstract

The goal of this study was to examine perception of quality of life in women suffering from stage III or IV primary pulmonary hypertension and being treated with prostacycline. This medication is a non-specific vasodilator with a short half-life. This was an explorative and descriptive multiple-case study (3 cases). The interview guides were elaborated according to Zhan's conceptual model of quality of life (1992). These helped in collecting qualitative data for content analysis. The results indicated that the 3 women were not satisfied with their quality of life, in terms of physical, psychological, social, and economic well-being, during the 12 weeks following the initiation of their treatment. Even though medical studies have shown a decrease in the mortality rate of individuals suffering from primary pulmonary hypertension within the first 12 weeks of prostacycline treatment, this case study cannot conclude that the quality of life of these 3 women had improved. A longer data collection period, with a larger sample size of patients, is recommended for future research.