Health-related Quality of Life of Patients With Chronic Systolic Heart Failure in Spain: Results of the VIDA-IC Study

Introduction and objectives: Although heart failure negatively affects the health-related quality of life of Spanish patients there is little information on the clinical factors associated with this issue. Methods: Cross-sectional multicenter study of health-related quality of life. A specific questionnaire (Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire) and a generic questionnaire (EuroQoL-5D) were administered to 1037 consecutive outpatients with systolic heart failure. Results: Most patients with poor quality of life had a worse prognosis and increased severity of heart failure. Mobility was more limited and rates of pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression were higher in the study patients than in the general population and patients with other chronic conditions. The scores on both questionnaires were very highly correlated (Pearson(R) = 0.815; P < .001). Multivariable linear regression showed that being older (standardized beta = -0.2; P =.03), female (standardized beta = -10.3; P < .001), having worse functional class (standardized beta = -20.4; P < .001), a higher Charlson comorbidity index (standardized beta = -1.2; P = .005), and recent hospitalization for heart failure (standardized beta = 6.28; P = .006) were independent predictors of worse health-related quality of life. Conclusions: Patients with heart failure have worse quality of life than the general Spanish population and patients with other chronic diseases. Female sex, being older, comorbidity, advanced symptoms, and recent hospitalization are determinant factors in health-related quality of life in these patients. (C) 2015 Sociedad Espanola de Cardiologia. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L.U. All rights reserved.