Health-related quality of life across heart failure categories: associations with clinical characteristics and outcomes

Abstract

Aims

The study aims to examine characteristics and outcomes associated with health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with heart failure (HF) with preserved, mildly reduced and reduced ejection fraction (EF) (HFpEF, HFmrEF and HFrEF).

Methods and results

Data on HRQoL were collected in the Swedish Heart Failure Registry (SwedeHF; 2000–2021) using the EuroQoL 5-dimensional visual analogue scale (EQ 5D-vas). Baseline EQ 5D-vas scores were categorized as ‘best’ (76–100), ‘good’ (51–75), ‘bad’ (26–50) and ‘worst’ (0–25). Independent associations between patients' characteristics and EQ 5D-vas, as well as between EQ 5D-vas and outcomes were assessed. Of 40 809 patients (median age 74 years; 32% female), 29% were in the ‘best’, 41% in the ‘good’, 25% in the ‘bad’ and 5% in the ‘worst’ EQ 5D-vas categories, similarly distributed across all EF categories. Higher New York Heart Association (NYHA) class was strongly associated with lower EQ 5D-vas regardless of EF categories, followed by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, smoking, body mass index, higher heart rate, anaemia, previous stroke, ischaemic heart disease, use of diuretics and living alone, whereas higher income, male sex, outpatient status and higher systolic blood pressure were inversely associated with lower EQ 5D-vas categories. Patients in the ‘worst’ EQ 5D-vas category as compared with the ‘best’ had the highest risk of all-cause death [adjusted hazard ratios 1.97, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.64–2.37 in HFrEF, 1.77, 95% CI 1.30–2.40 in HFmrEF and 1.43 95% CI 1.02–2.00 in HFpEF].

Conclusions

Most patients were in the two highest EQ 5D-vas categories. Higher NYHA class had the strongest association with lower EQ 5D-vas categories, across all EF categories. Patients in the worst EQ 5D-vas category were at the highest risk of mortality.