Acute cardiac care & resuscitation
Sex-related differences in long-term quality of life after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a nationwide cross-sectional survey study
Authors' conclusion
Female OHCA survivors reported less favourable long-term HRQoL outcomes compared with male survivors, irrespective of time elapsed since cardiac arrest.
Study context
- Population
- Adult out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survivors in Denmark (arrest 2001–2019) alive as of 1 October 202056.1% response rate
- Participants
- 2,552 survivors
- Exposure
- Women vs men OHCA survivors
- Womenn = 477
- Menn = 2,075reference
- Outcome
- Long-term HRQoL (EQ-5D, SF-12, HADS)
Methodological detailsnationwide, survey
- Nationwide
- Survey
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Long-term HRQoL
| Group | EuroQol VAS | EQ-5D index | SF-12 physical | SF-12 mental | Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) anxiety | HADS depression |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women | 69 | 0.76 (SD 0.21) | 40.3 (SD 12.9) | 50.9 (SD 8.8) | 5.4 | 4.0 |
| Men | 75 | 0.84 (SD 0.17) | 44.0 (SD 12.1) | 53.3 (SD 8.1) | 3.5 | 3.2 |
EuroQol VAS
Women69
Men75
EQ-5D index
Women0.76 (SD 0.21)
Men0.84 (SD 0.17)
SF-12 physical
Women40.3 (SD 12.9)
Men44.0 (SD 12.1)
SF-12 mental
Women50.9 (SD 8.8)
Men53.3 (SD 8.1)
Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) anxiety
Women5.4
Men3.5
HADS depression
Women4.0
Men3.2
- Women vs Men: P < 0.001 — EuroQol VAS and EQ-5D index
- Women vs Men: P < 0.001 — SF-12 physical and mental
- Women vs Men: P < 0.001 — HADS anxiety
- Women vs Men: P < 0.001 — HADS depression
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) by time since arrest (0-4, >4-8, >8-12, >12 years)
- Trends consistent regardless of time since cardiac arrest
Original publication
Sex-related differences in long-term quality of life after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a nationwide cross-sectional survey study. Eur Heart J Acute Cardiovasc Care. Published 25 June 2025. doi:10.
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it