A single health status question had important prognostic value among outpatients with chronic heart failure.
OBJECTIVE
Health status is an important marker of the impact of disease on function among patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). However, the prognostic value of CHF-specific health status on long-term mortality has not been adequately evaluated. Our objective was to assess CHF-specific health status and 5-year mortality among outpatients with CHF.


METHODS
We analyzed data from 494 Veterans Affairs outpatients with diagnoses of CHF and objective evidence of left ventricular dysfunction who enrolled in a quality improvement intervention. We extracted information about comorbid diagnoses, severity of illness (Charlson index), health care utilization, drug therapy, laboratory, and vital sign data along with generic and CHF-specific health status. We then identified multivariate correlates of subsequent mortality at 5 years.


RESULTS
Five-year mortality was 44%. Age (chi2=26.1, hazard ratio [HR]=1.63, confidence interval [CI]: 1.35, 1.97; P<0.0001) and Charlson index (chi2=12.9, HR=1.39, CI: 1.16, 1.67; P=0.0003) were significantly associated with 5-year mortality. Controlling for clinical, lab, medication, and administrative data, a single-item assessing change in CHF-specific health status was independently associated with 5-year mortality (chi2=11.4, HR=0.87, CI: 0.80, 0.94, P=0.0007).


CONCLUSIONS
Given the strength of the association with mortality, health care providers should routinely assess this single-item change in health status among outpatients with CHF to identify higher risk patients and guide therapy.
Subramanian
Usha
U
Roudebush VAMC, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA. usubrama@ipui.edu
Eckert
George
G
Yeung
Ada
A
Tierney
William M
WM
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010045:Outpatients; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011788:Quality of Life; D018401:Sample Size; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality; D014728:Veterans