Gender differences in quality of life are minimal in patients with heart failure

Background: Prior investigators have suggested that quality of life differs in men and women with heart failure, especially in the physical functioning domain. The purpose of this study was to compare quality of life in men and women with heart failure to determine if differences exist after controlling for functional status, age, and ejection fraction. Methods: Data from a sample of 640 men and women (50% each) matched on New York Heart Association functional classification and age were used for this secondary analysis. Scores on the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire were compared at baseline and 3 months after enrollment using multivariate techniques with ejection fraction controlled. Treatment group (intervention versus control) was controlled statistically at 3 months because the original data were drawn from experimental and quasi-experimental studies in which an improvement in quality of life had been a goal of the intervention. The sexes differed on marital status, so this variable was controlled in analyses as well. Results: In all analyses, quality of life was minimally worse in women compared with men (1-3 points at most). None of the differences reached statistical significance except for emotional quality of life at baseline (P=.03). By 3 months, both men and women reported significantly improved and comparable quality of life and there were no significant differences between them. Conclusion: Quality of life is similar in men and women with heart failure when functional status, age, ejection fraction, and marital status differences are controlled.