Last update:
05-Jun-2015

OBJECTIVE Patients with heart failure (HF) experience many different problems that affect their quality of life (QoL) and possibly trigger the onset of anxiety and depression. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of anxiety and depression on the QoL of patients with HF.

METHOD Data were collected from 127 patients with HF by self-completion of a specially designed questionnaire consisting of: (a) Socio-demographic, clinical and other characteristics, (b) the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HADs), and (c) the Minnesota living with heart failure scale. Statistical analysis was performed with the logistic program Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), v. 20, using the statistical methods Kruskal-Wallis, Man-Whitney, X² and multiple linear regression.

RESULTS Of the 127 patients, 49.6% experienced a high level of anxiety and 11.8% a high level of depression. On the Minnesota scale the mean±standard deviation was 51±13 for the total score, 22.6±5.3 for the physical state, and 9.2±4.3 for the mental state. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the patients with high levels of stress had a higher total score on the Minnesota scale (i.e., lower QoL) than the patients with low to moderate levels of anxiety (β coefficient: 11.794, p<0.001), but this relationship disappeared after control for potential confounding factors (β coefficient: 4.188, p=0.343). The patients with middle-range and high levels of depression had higher scores on the Minnesota scale than those with low levels of depression (β coefficient: 15.835 and 7.911, respectively, p<0.001) and this relationship persisted after controlling for potential confounders (β coefficient: 11.202 and 15.763, respectively, p<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS Depression negatively influences the QoL of patients with HF. Assessment and early recognition of depression is important to improve the quality of life of these patients.

Key words: Anxiety, Depression, Heart failure, Quality of life.