Depressive symptoms decrease health-related quality of life of patients with coronary artery disease and diabetes: a 12-month follow up study in primary care.

Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is an important dimension of the quality and effectiveness of health care and an important predictor of mortality and morbidity.The main finding was that baseline depressive symptoms were associated with a decrease in the health-related quality of life after 12 months of follow-up, particularly in patients with coronary artery disease and diabetes.Beginning from the lowest scores, the severity of baseline depressive symptoms had a significant relationship with the level of deterioration in HRQoL among patients with coronary artery disease and diabetes.A significant decrease in HRQoL related to depressive symptoms was found in various different dimensions of HRQoL.