Are health-related quality-of-life and self-rated health associated with mortality? Insights from Translating Research Into Action for Diabetes (TRIAD)

AimsTo determine if health-related quality-of-life and self-rated health are associated with mortality in persons with diabetes.MethodsSurvey and medical record data were obtained from 7892 patients with diabetes in Translating Research Into Action for Diabetes (TRIAD), a multicenter prospective observational study of diabetes care in managed care. Vital status at follow-up was determined from the National Death Index. Multivariable proportional hazard models were used to determine if a generic measure of health-related quality-of-life (EQ-5D) and self-rated health measured at baseline were associated with 4-year all-cause, cardiovascular, and noncardiovascular mortality.ResultsAt baseline, the mean EQ-5D score for decedents was 0.73 (S.D. = 0.20) and for survivors was 0.81 (S.D. = 0.18) (p < 0.0001). Fifty-five percent of decedents and 36% of survivors (p < 0.0001) rated their health as fair or poor. Lower EQ-5D scores and fair or poor self-rated health were associated with higher rates of mortality after adjusting for the demographic, socioeconomic, and clinical risk factors for mortality.ConclusionsHealth-related quality-of-life and self-rated health predict mortality in persons with diabetes. Health-related quality-of-life and self-rated health may provide additional information on patient risk independent of demographic, socioeconomic, and clinical risk factors for mortality.