Evaluation of health-related quality of life before and after total hip arthroplasty in the elderly in Iran: a prospective cohort study

Abstract

BackgroundOwing to the direct impact of total hip arthroplasty (THA) on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and the higher prevalence of THA in the elderly, this study aimed to compare HRQOL before, and after THA in the Iranian elderly.MethodsThe present prospective cohort study was performed on 161 THA candidates. Demographic data were extracted from records of patients. Before, 6, and 12 months after THA, a Short Form 36 health survey (SF-36) was used to assess HRQOL. Before THA, 6 and 12 months after THA, Physical (PCS), and mental component scores (MCS) were obtained from a hundred separately for each subscale of the questionnaire. The Paired t-test was used to compare HRQOL before and after THA.ResultsBoth 6 and 12 months after THA, HRQOL was significantly increased compared to previous THA (P = 0.001). In the first half-year after THA, vitality and emotional state were not different from pre-surgery. However, 12 months after THA, these two subscales also were significantly improved. Although, 6 months after THA, the PCS has dramatically gone up compared to the previous THA (P = 0.012), despite MCS was remained steady. Nonetheless, by comparison with the before surgery, 12 months after THA, MSC notably improved (P = 0.048).ConclusionHRQOL was appreciably improved by the THA in the elderly after 12 months. The improvement in HRQoL in the first 6 months after THA is related to the promotion in the physical aspect (PCS score), and in the second 6 months after THA is related to the promotion in the psychological aspect (MCS score).