[Study of quality of life of patients with heart failure in an Internal Medicine Department].
BACKGROUND
Quality of life (QL) is an important objective in the treatment of patients with heart failure (HF). We have measured QL and different factors that can affect it in a group of patients hospitalized with HF.


METHODS
34 patients with HF were cross-examined by means of a specific questionnaire: The "Minnesota Living With Heart Failure Questionnaire" (MLWHFQ). Blood analyses, ecocardiographic measurements and specific questionnaires, were also carried out in order to evaluate other parameters which could affect QL: Age, sex, comorbidity, number of drugs taken, left ventricular ejection fraction, nutritional status, cognitive function, depression and functional capacity in daily life.


RESULTS
QL measured by means of the MLWHFQ was quite high (mean: 34.3). The other tests yielded values within normality or next to normality. Depression was the factor more clearly associated with patients quality of life (p = 0.0001). We also found a statistically significant association with left ventricular ejection fraction (p = 0.03), age (p = 0.008) and albuminemia (p = 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
In our group of patients, QL was conditioned by depression, left ventricular ejection fraction, age and albuminemia.
Etxeberría-Lekuona
D
D
Servicio de Medicina Interna, Hospital Virgen del Camino, Pamplona. danieletxeberria@yahoo.es
Sánchez-Alvarez
J
J
Alonso Gutiérrez
A
A
Acha Arrieta
V
V
Campos Rivas
R
R
Jarne Betrán
V
V
D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000150:complications; D006748:Hospital Departments; D006801:Humans; D007388:Internal Medicine; D008297:Male; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires