Quality of life assessment using the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire: NYHA34 functional class correlation with questionnaire scores

Abstract

Introduction: Cardiovascular diseases are one of the most causes leading to death in the developed countries, including Lithuania and Poland. In Poland, cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death for men over 45 and women over 70 years of age, and in Lithuania CD are the leading cause of death among women and men, accounting for 65%of deaths among women and 48% among men. That’s why it is important to observe a quality of life of patients living with heart failure, one the most common CD, and its’ impact factors. Aim: The purpose of the research was to compare the NYHA functional class with the MLHFQ scores and evaluate the impact of risk factors to questionnaire scores for a better understanding of heart failure patients‘ quality of life during and 6 months after hospitalization. Materials and Methods: The study population consisted of76 patients (67% male and 33% female) with heart failure (HF) treated at the Kaunas Hospital of the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences. During the hospitalization period, patients' medical histories and Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ) scores were analyzed. We also gave additional questions to better determine risk factors and to evaluate the NYHA functional class of HF patients. After six month MLHFQ scores and additional questions were made by phone call. Statistical analysis was performed using IBMSPSS 27.0 software package. The strength of the association between different measurements was evaluated by Spearman's correlation coefficient and Chi-square test. Results: The average age of HF patients was 75±12 years. The distribution of patients according to NYHA functional class was: class II (12%), class III (29%), and class IV (59%). We performed statistical analysis to observe the dependence of NYHA functional class and MLHFQ results. The first follow-up mean score was 44±14 and after six months was 41±13.Observed changes in the questionnaire scores were statistically significant and also correlated with the NYHA class both after the first (Χ²=12.861, df=4, p<0.05) and second follow-up (Χ² =17.588, df=6, p<0.05). In our research, only smoking had a statistically significant negative impact to the MLHFQ score and quality of life over 6 months (Χ²=12.542, df=4, p<0.05). The highest percentage of patients with worsened questionnaire results were current smokers (44%; pack-years mean 25±17), and the highest percentage of improved prognosis were former smokers (43%) or nonsmokers (41%). Conclusions: Our results show a strong correlation between NYHA class and MLHFQ scores. Both were related to one another during hospitalization and after 6 months follow-up. Smoking had a significant impact in MLHF and NYHA classes, resulting former smokers had a worse MLHFQ result.