Vital exhaustion in chronic heart failure: symptom profiles and clinical outcome.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to examine the components of vital exhaustion (VE) in chronic heart failure (CHF) patients and to examine whether psychological symptom profiles based on these components are differently associated with health status and cardiac rehospitalization.


METHODS
Consecutive CHF patients (N=381) were assessed for VE at baseline using the Maastricht Questionnaire and assessed for health status at 6-month follow-up using the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire. Information on cardiac rehospitalization was obtained from the patients' medical records.


RESULTS
Principal component analysis revealed four essential features of VE: fatigue, cognitive-affective depressive symptoms, sleep difficulties, and lack of concentration. Latent class cluster analysis using these components identified three subgroups with different symptom profiles: a subgroup without VE, a first vitally exhausted subgroup (VE1; fatigue and lack of concentration, but with a relative absence of cognitive-affective depressive symptoms and sleep difficulties), and a second more severe, vitally exhausted subgroup (VE2; elevated levels of all components). Both vitally exhausted subgroups were more likely to have impaired health status (VE1: beta=.36, P<.001; VE2: beta=.71, P<.001). VE2 was also associated with an increased risk of cardiac rehospitalization at 6-month follow-up (odds ratio=2.98; 95% confidence interval=1.01-8.83; P=.049).


CONCLUSIONS
VE in CHF comprised four components (fatigue, cognitive-affective depressive symptoms, sleep difficulties, and lack of concentration) from which three different symptom profiles were derived. Subgroups with symptoms of VE were associated with adverse clinical outcome in CHF. In clinical practice, these results may help identify distinct groups of patients with potentially differential risks of adverse health outcomes.
Smith
Otto R F
OR
Center on Research for Psychology in Somatic Diseases, Tilburg University, The Netherlands. robert.smith@psy-uvt.nl
Gidron
Yori
Y
Kupper
Nina
N
Winter
Jobst B
JB
Denollet
Johan
J
D000368:Aged; D015897:Comorbidity; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006304:Health Status; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D005222:Mental Fatigue / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010359:Patient Readmission; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011602:Psychophysiologic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D012803:Sick Role; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology