Title:Changes in Physical and Mental Functions in Patients with Cardiovascular
Disease During the First Two Waves of COVID-19 in Japan
Volume: 17
Issue: 1
Author(s): Kodai Ishihara, Kazuhiro P. Izawa*, Shinichi Noto and Ikki Shimizu
Affiliation:
- Department of Public Health, Graduate School of Health Sciences, Kobe University, Kobe 654-0142, Japan
- Cardiovascular Stroke Renal Project (CRP), Kobe 654-0142, Japan
Keywords:
Cardiovascular disease, COVID-19, life-space mobility, quality of life, infection, pandemic.
Abstract:
Background and objectives: The goal of this study was to determine whether changes in
life-space mobility and quality of life (QoL) recovered in patients with cardiovascular disease
(CVD) during the first two waves of the pandemic of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Japan.
Methods: We performed a follow-up survey in 20 CVD patients using the Life-Space Assessment
(LSA) scale and the five-level EuroQoL five-dimensional questionnaire (EQ-5D-5L), Japanese version,
at three time points: January-March 2020 (before the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic),
July 2020 (following the first wave of the pandemic), and November 2020 (following the second
wave of the pandemic).
Results: The LSA score in November 2020 (median [interquartile range], 90 [83.5-100] points) did
not recover from the July 2020 score (83 [76.5-93] points). However, the EQ-5D-5L QoL score in
November 2020 (0.89 [0.82-1]) had improved from that in July 2020 (0.80 [0.71-0.87]).
Conclusion: The QoL of CVD patients might have been more affected by psychological factors
rather than physical factors during the first two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan.
