Health-related quality of life in elderly patients with heart failure

Objective: To assess health-related quality of life (HRQL) in elderly patie nts with congestive heart failure (CHF) and correlate these to clinical and demographic variables. Patients and methods: HRQL was evaluated in 191 pat ients with CHF, aged 65-84 years, using a self-administered questionnaire i ncluding the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP), Quality of Life Questionnaire in Heart Failure and Patients' Global Self-Assessment. Results: HRQL was m ore impaired in women than to men (p < 0.05), New York Heart Association fu nctional class correlated to HRQL (p < 0.01) and HRQL, as assessed by NHP, was impaired in CHF patients compared to a previously evaluated, age and se x matched, normal reference population, Conclusion: Measurement of HRQL in heart failure patients provides important information in addition to a clin ical evaluation, and inclusion of HRQL assessments in clinical practice is feasible and warranted. Specific intervention should be aimed at improving HRQL in those most severely affected.