Correlation between quality of life and functional capacity in cardiac failure.
BACKGROUND
Patients with cardiac failure (CF) present progressive incapacity and decreased quality of life, both related to dyspnea and fatigue. Thus, there is the increasing interest in measuring the quality of life (QL), by generic instrument, such as the 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), by specific instrument, such as Minnesota Living with Heart Failure (MLHFQ).


OBJECTIVE
This study has the objective to correlate the QL surveys, SF-36 and MLHFQ, with the functional capacity of patients with CF, expressed by the cardiopulmonary test and the TC6M.


METHODS
Using the SF-36 and MLHFQ surveys for QL evaluation, for the evaluation of the functional capacity, it was used the cardiopulmonary test, being executed using a tredmill with Weber protocol, as well sa the distance covered in the walk test of six minutes (TC6M).


RESULTS
Forty-six patients were selected with CF diagnosis (22 men, average age of 52 years old), classes II and III of New York Heart Association. It was observed that the mild correlation between the physical and emotional domains of SF-36 and VE/VCO2.peak (r=-0.3; p<0.05) and the distance covered in TC6M (r=0.4; p<0.05), respectively. It was also observed the mild to moderate correlations of MLHFQ total score with VO2.peak (r=-0.5; p<0.05), the aerobic threshold (r=-0.4; p<0.05) and the distance covered in TC6M (r=-0.5; p<0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
The data suggest that the application of both evaluation instruments of QL, generic (SF-36) and specific (MLHFQ) in patients with CF, showed mild and moderate correlation with the variable of the cardiopulmonary test with the variables of the cardiopulmonary test and the distance covered in TC6M.
Nogueira
Ivan Daniel Bezerra
ID
Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brasil. idpa01@hotmail.com
Servantes
Denise Maria
DM
Nogueira
Patrícia Angélica de Miranda Silva
PA
Pelcerman
Amália
A
Salvetti
Xiomara Miranda
XM
Salles
Fernando
F
Almeida
Dirceu Rodrigues
DR
Mello
Marco Túlio de
MT
Filho
Orlando Campos
OC
Filho
Japy Angelini Oliveira
JA
D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology