Health-related quality of life in patients with congestive heart failure

Background: Despite abundant evidence attesting to poor physical, psychological and social functioning of congestive heart failure (CHF) patients, little is known about the impact of the disease itself on health-related quality of life (HRQL). Most previous work has focused on general quality of life issues rather than specifically on the impact of CHF on HRQL. Aim: To identify the significant demographic, clinical and psychosocial factors associated with HRQL in patients with CHF. Methods: A total of 227 CHF patients were recruited from the medical unit of a general hospital in Hong Kong. Cross-sectional data on HRQL, functional status, psychological state, social support and health perception were obtained from each patient and clinical data were obtained from hospital records. Results: In hierarchical regression analysis, psychological distress, poor health perception, higher NYHA grading and lower education level were identified as the significant factors associated with poorer HRQL. These correlates in total explained 52% of the variance for the HRQL scores. Among these correlates, psychological distress and NYHA grading demonstrated the greatest effect on HRQL scores. Conclusion: The findings highlight the significance of addressing the psychological and functional health of CHF patients. Assisting these patients to cultivate a positive attitude towards their own health status is also an important treatment goal.