title: Relationship of age and sex to health-related quality of life in patients with heart failure.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although health-related quality of life is diminished among patients with chronic heart failure, few investigators have examined interactions of age and sex with health-related quality of life longitudinally.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine differences in health-related quality of life among 4 groups of patients with heart failure on the basis of age (< 65 years and > or = 65 years) and sex and to evaluate relationships of age and sex to changes in health-related quality of life during 6 months.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients from 2 outpatient clinics in an urban county hospital were interviewed at baseline and 26 weeks later Health-related quality of life was measured by using the Minnesota Living With Heart Failure Questionnaire and the Chronic Heart Failure Questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 165 patients (52% women; mean age, 57.6 years) completed interviews at baseline and 26 weeks later. At baseline, patients younger than 65 years had poorer health-related quality of life scores on total scales and some subscales than did older patients. Women had poorer scores than did men on some scales, particularly the emotional subscales. At 26 weeks, patients younger than 65 had poorer total health-related quality of life on 1 scale than did patients 65 and older, and women had poorer scores than did men on 1 total scale. With demographic and clinical factors controlled for, women younger than 65 had improvements in health-related quality of life on some scales.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Women younger than 65 years had relatively poorer initial health-related quality of life that improved after 26 weeks.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Indiana University, Indianapolis, Ind, USA.
authors.forename: Nan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.forename: Michelle A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Chui
authors.forename: George J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Eckert
authors.forename: Neil B
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Oldridge
authors.forename: Michael D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Murray
authors.forename: Susan J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Bennett
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004417:Dyspnea / Q000503:physiopathology; D005221:Fatigue / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States