Health-related quality of life in unselected outpatients with heart failure across Spain in two different health care levels. Magnitude and determinants of impairment: The INCA study

Abstract

All domains of HRQL were significantly impaired in CHF patients. Differences found in HRQL between PC and Cardiology should possibly be attributed to a large extent to the different clinical characteristics of the patients attended. In spite of the differences between EQ-5D and MLWHF, our results suggest that both questionnaires adequately reflect the severity of the disease.

Type D personality is a predictor of poor emotional quality of life in primary care heart failure patients independent of depressive symptoms and New York Heart Association functional class

“…First, given that the study was designed to examine predictors of patient-centered outcomes available in primary care practices, we had little information on traditional risk factors, such as co morbidity, hypercholesterolemia, left ventricular dysfunction, etc. Although we cannot rule out that left ventricular dysfunction may have confounded the results, evidence for an impact of left ventricular dysfunction on patient-centered outcomes, such as quality of life, anxiety and depressive symptoms, is mixed, with some (Bjelland et al 2002; de Rivas et al 2008) but not all studies (Lewis et al 2007; Schiffer et al 2008a, b, 2005) supporting such a relationship. Second, depressive symptoms were assessed by means of self-report rather than a clinical diagnostic interview.…”

“…The total Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire score ranges from 0 to 105, with a higher score indicating poorer quality of life. In addition to a total score, it is possible to derive an emotional (5 items; questions 17–21; score range 0–25) and physical dimension (8 items; questions 2–7, 12–13; score range 0–40) of quality of life (de Rivas et al 2008; Rector 2005; Schiffer et al 2008a, b). A sample item of the emotional subscale is: “Making you feel you are a burden to your family or friends” .…”

Determinants of Utility Based on the EuroQol Five-Dimensional Questionnaire in Patients with Chronic Heart Failure and Their Change Over Time: Results from the Swedish Heart Failure Registry

“…The strong link between HRQOL in CHF and morbidity and mortality makes it particularly important to understand which factors have an impact on utility as an aggregate measure of HRQOL (e.g., [7][8][9]). Independent determinants of HRQOL in CHF include age, sex, New York Heart Association (NYHA) class, LVEF, clinical parameters, comorbidities, medications, and previous hospitalizations [10][11][12][13][14]. To our knowledge, however, the only published utility function available in CHF to date is based on the Eplerenone Post-Acute Myocardial Infarction Heart Failure Efficacy and Survival Study [12], in which HRQOL was modeled on the basis of the EQ-5D.…”

Effectiveness of an Interventional Program to Improve Blood Pressure Control in Hypertensive Patients at High Risk for Developing Heart Failure: HEROIC Study

“…7,8 Patients with HF face significant impairment in functional status, multiple hospital admissions, high mortality, multiple physical and psychological symptoms, and a diminished quality of life. [9][10][11] Although recent advances in therapy for HF have improved functional capacity and survival, control of risk factors, mainly high BP, [12][13][14] is crucial to halt HF development.…”