Ivabradine Improves All Aspects of Quality of Life Assessed with the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey in Subjects with Chronic Ischemic Heart Disease Compared with Beta-Blockers

No published studies have evaluated quality of life (QOL) with the 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) in subjects with chronic stable angina pectoris (CSAP). We evaluated whether a 1-month treatment with 10 mg ivabradine (IVA) or β-blockers (bisoprolol 2.5 mg/day, carvedilol 12.5 mg/day, atenolol 50 mg/day) improves the QOL in patients with CSAP. The SF-36 was administered to 238 patients randomized in two groups. QOL and heart rate (HR) results after 1 month of therapy with IVA and β-blockers (T1) were compared with basal values (T0). Treatments in both groups significantly reduced HR (–11 bpm at T1 compared with T0 in the IVA group, –7 bpm at T1 compared with T0 in the β-blocker group), but IVA demonstrated a more significant (p