A health-related quality of life questionnaire in symptomatic patients with heart failure: validity and reliability of a Japanese version of the MRF28.
BACKGROUND
Major characteristics of symptomatic patients with heart failure are exercise intolerance, poor prognosis, and poor quality of life (QOL). However, most QOL questionnaires are applicable for patients with mild to moderate heart failure, and are not sufficiently sensitive to discriminate between patients with NYHA classes III and IV. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare a questionnaire focused on patients with severe heart failure.


OBJECTIVE
We developed a Japanese version of the Maugeri Foundation Respiratory Failure (MRF28) questionnaire and assessed validity and reliability of MRF28 in heart failure patients.


METHODS
The MRF28 questionnaire was evaluated in 124 patients with heart failure (NYHA classes: I, 24; II, 31; III, 52; IV, 17). Reliability was evaluated by internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Validity was determined by correlation with World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL) questionnaire and physiological parameters.


RESULTS
The MRF28 showed high internal consistency and reproducibility. The total score and subscores were all increased with the progress of heart failure. The total score could differentiate patients among NYHA II, III, and IV, but could not between NYHA I and II. However, all subscores and total score changed consistently with changes in symptoms of heart failure.


CONCLUSIONS
MRF28 is a valid and reliable disease-specific questionnaire for assessing QOL in symptomatic patients with heart failure. Thus, this questionnaire may be useful for a QOL evaluation of patients with moderate to severe heart failure.
Hatta
Motonori
M
Division of Biostatistics, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan.
Joho
Shuji
S
Inoue
Hiroshi
H
Origasa
Hideki
H
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*