The Associations of Diagnoses of Fatigue and Depression With Use of Medical Services in Patients With Heart Failure

Identification of Fatigue Subtypes and Their Correlates in Prevalent Heart Failure: A Secondary Analysis of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study

BACKGROUND

Among patients with heart failure (HF), fatigue is common and linked to quality of life and functional status. Fatigue is hypothesized to manifest as multiple types, with general and exertional components. Unique subtypes of fatigue in HF may require differential assessment and treatment to improve outcomes. We conducted this study to identify fatigue subtypes in persons with prevalent HF in the ARIC study (Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities) and describe the distribution of characteristics across subtypes.

METHODS

We performed a cross-sectional analysis of 1065 participants with prevalent HF at ARIC visit 5 (2011-2013). We measured exertional fatigue using the Modified Medical Research Council Breathlessness scale and general fatigue using the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System fatigue scale. We used latent class analysis to identify subtypes of fatigue. Number of classes was determined using model fit statistics, and classes were interpreted and assigned fatigue severity rating based on the conditional probability of endorsing survey items given class. We compared characteristics across classes using multinomial regression.

RESULTS

Overall, participants were 54% female and 38% Black with a mean age of 77. We identified 4 latent classes (fatigue subtypes): (1) high general/high exertional fatigue (18%), (2) high general/low exertional fatigue (27%), (3) moderate general/moderate exertional fatigue (20%), and (4) low/no general and exertional fatigue (35%). Female sex, Black race, lower education level, higher body mass index, increased depressive symptoms, and higher prevalence of diabetes were associated with higher levels of general and exertional fatigue.

CONCLUSIONS

We identified unique subtypes of fatigue in patients with HF who have not been previously described. Within subtype, general and exertional fatigue were mostly concordant in severity, and exertional fatigue only occurred in conjunction with general fatigue, not alone. Further understanding these fatigue types and their relationships to outcomes may enhance our understanding of the symptom experience and inform prognostication and secondary prevention efforts for persons with HF.

[Clinical features of asthenic disorders in chronic heart failure]

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the study is to study the clinical features of asthenic disorders in chronic heart failure (CHF) considering the reaction to the disease.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

62 inpatients with CHF II-IV functional class (FC) according to NYHA were examined. Research methods included somatic, psychopathological and pathopsychological examination using psychometric scales.

RESULTS

According to a pathopsychological study using the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI-20), asthenic disorders were discovered in all examined patients, realized mainly by «general fatigue» (75.8%) and «physical fatigue» (72.6%), more rarely «mental fatigue» was observed (32.2%). Correlations of «general fatigue» with the age of patients were revealed (p=0.018). There was a relationship between the severity of asthenic disorders and the severity of CHF, as evidenced by the correlation between «general fatigue» and reduced ejection fraction (EF) of the left ventricle (p=0.005), as well as «physical fatigue» and FC according to NYHA (p=0.022). The negative impact of all components of the dimensions of asthenic disorders on the quality of life was determined (p<0.05). According to the concept of the formation of different perceptions of the manifestations of a somatic disease, two types of reactions to asthenic disorders were identified: 1. Dissociative reactions, manifested by a discrepancy between the severity of CHF and a subjective assessment of the condition with an underestimation of the asthenic symptoms denial of its influence on the usual lifestyle and associated with an unfavorable course of CHF and 2. Adaptive reactions, realized by a harmonious perception of asthenia, awareness of the need to change lifestyle considering the presence of CHF symptoms.

CONCLUSION

In accordance with the results, the described clinical features of asthenic disorders allow to distinguish asthenia in CHF and other pathology, and the identified types of reactions can contribute to the timely verification of asthenia, prevention of further progression of CHF, and the development of appropriate treatment approaches.

Association between sleep and quality of life in heart failure patient-caregiver dyads and mediation of fatigue: An actor-partner interdependence mediation model

AIMS

Quality of life is essential to heart failure patients and their family caregivers. This study aimed to examine the mediating role of fatigue in the association between sleep and quality of life in heart failure patient-caregiver dyads.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted from November 2017 to August 2018.

METHODS

A total of 269 heart failure patient-caregiver dyads at two hospitals in China were included. The Chinese version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Chalder Fatigue Scale and the 12-item Short-Form Health Survey were used to collect data on heart failure patients and their family caregivers. The structural equation model was employed in the dyadic analysis based on the actor-partner interdependence mediation model.

RESULTS

Regarding the actor effects, poor sleep was negatively associated with physical and mental quality of life in heart failure patients and their family caregivers, respectively, and the relationship was mediated by their fatigue. Regarding the partner effects, caregivers' fatigue was positively associated with patients' physical quality of life and mediated the association between caregivers' sleep and patients' physical quality of life.

CONCLUSIONS

Heart failure patients and their family caregivers experience reduced quality of life when they have poor sleep and fatigue, and caregivers' fatigue is related to patients' improved physical quality of life. Hence, dyadic interventions targeting to improving sleep and fatigue may be beneficial to their quality of life.

IMPACT

This study highlights the importance of routinely measuring and managing sleep and fatigue for heart failure patients and their family caregivers. Effective dyadic-based interventions that maintain equal attention to family caregivers should be considered by healthcare providers to maximize the improvement of patients' quality of life.

Fatigue in Persons With Heart Failure: A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Synthesis Using the Biopsychosocial Model of Health

BACKGROUND

Fatigue is a common and distressing symptom of heart failure (HF) and has important implications for patient-reported and clinical outcomes. Despite being a common and bothersome symptom, fatigue has been understudied in HF. We sought to synthesize existing literature on fatigue in HF through a systematic literature review guided by the biopsychosocial model of health.

METHODS AND RESULTS

A systematic search of the literature was performed on March 18, 2020, using Pubmed, Embase, and CINAHL. Full-text, primary research articles, written in English, in which fatigue was a primary symptom of interest in adults with a diagnosis of HF, were included. The search yielded 1138 articles; 33 articles that met inclusion criteria were selected for extraction and synthesis. Biological and psychological factors associated with fatigue were New York Heart Association functional class, hemoglobin level, history of stroke, and depression. However, there are limited HF-specific factors linked to fatigue. Social factors related to fatigue included social roles, relationship strain, and loneliness and isolation. Few nonpharmacologic interventions have been tested by show some promise for alleviating fatigue in HF. Studies show conflicting evidence related to the prognostic implications of fatigue.

CONCLUSIONS

Important biological correlates of fatigue were identified; however, psychological and social variables were limited to qualitative description. There is need for expanded models to better understand the complex physiologic nature of fatigue in HF. Additionally, more research is needed to (1) define the relationships between fatigue and both psychological and social factors, (2) better describe the prognostic implications of fatigue, and (3) develop more therapeutic approaches to alleviate fatigue with the goal of improving overall quality of life.