Somatic depression predicts mortality in chronic heart failure: can this be explained by covarying symptoms of fatigue?

Associations of multidimensional fatigue with the physical, psychological, and situational factors in outpatients with heart failure: a cross-sectional study

AIMS

Fatigue, a distressing symptom in patients with heart failure (HF), is associated with progress and health outcomes. Fatigue has been identified as having multidimensions, but a few studies have used a multidimensional fatigue scale. Many factors related to HF, including physical, psychological, and situational factors, may impact fatigue. However, there is limited knowledge about how these HF-related factors are associated with multidimensional fatigue in outpatients with HF in Japan. The aim of this study was to identify HF-related factors [physical; clinical characteristics, New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class and physical function, psychological; depressive symptoms and anxiety, situational; health literacy and perceived control] associated with the five dimensions of fatigue in outpatients with HF.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Outpatients with HF (N = 165, mean age = 69.5 years, 78.8% male) completed the survey and physical assessment of gait speed. Fatigue was assessed using five dimensions of the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory-20. Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted for each dimension of fatigue. General fatigue was predicted by age, NYHA, and perceived control. Physical fatigue was predicted by NYHA, depressive symptoms, and perceived control. Reduced activity was predicted by NYHA, gait speed, depressive symptoms, communicative health literacy, and critical health literacy. The reduced motivation was predicted by depressive symptoms and perceived control. Mental fatigue was predicted by depressive symptoms.

CONCLUSION

Different factors were significantly associated with each fatigue dimension. Further research is needed to alleviate fatigue in patients with HF.

Prevalence of Chronic Orofacial Pain in Elderly Patients Referred to Shiraz Dental School From 2005 to 2017

Background

Orofacial pain is presented mainly as a pain in the front part of the head, including the oral cavity. Adult and elderly patients are important target groups affected by this chronic pain, which may cause several problems.

Methods

In this cross-sectional study, the characteristics of patients who suffered from orofacial pain were evaluated. The data such as patients' gender, age, pain diagnoses, treatments, responses to treatments, duration and severity of pain, and disability were collected from their records. The diagnoses were provided based on the characteristics of pain, X-ray findings, physiological findings, lab tests, nerve block injection, and a drug challenge test.

Results

Among all the 5,221 patients referred to Oral and Maxillofacial Medicine and Prosthodontics Department, 583 (11.16%) reported orofacial pain as the chief complaint. The frequency of orofacial pain was more prevalent among women than men. Burning mouth syndrome was the most prevalent cause of orofacial pain in the elderly, followed by temporomandibular disorder and trigeminal neuralgia.

Conclusions

Most cases of orofacial pain in elderly patients were burning mouth syndrome, temporomandibular disorder, and neuralgia. It was more observed in females than males with the mean age of 55.3 ± 10.7 years old.

Subjective measures of health and all-cause mortality - the Rotterdam Study

BACKGROUND

Subjectively assessed health is related to mortality. Various subjective indicators of health have been studied, but it is unclear whether perceived physical functioning or mental health best accounts for the relation with mortality.

METHOD

We studied the relation of subjective measures of health with all-cause mortality in 5538 participants of age 55 to 96 years at baseline from the Rotterdam Study. Various instruments of subjectively assessed health were used, that included basic activities of daily living (BADL), instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), quality of life (QoL), positive affect, somatic symptoms and negative affect. All participants completed questionnaires for each subjective measure of health and were followed for mortality for a mean of 12.2 (s.e. = 0.09) years. Cox regression analysis was conducted in the total sample.

RESULTS

In this cohort, 2021 persons died during 48 534 person-years of follow-up. All measures of subjective health were related to mortality after adjusting for age, gender, education, cognition, prevalent chronic diseases and cardiovascular risk [BADL hazard ratio (HR, calculated per Z-score) = 1.35, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.29-1.41; IADL HR = 1.27, 95% CI 1.22-1.32; QoL HR = 0.85, 95% CI 0.81-0.89; positive affect HR = 0.92, 95% CI 0.88-0.96; somatic symptoms HR = 1.11, 95% CI 1.06-1.16; and negative affect HR = 1.05, 95% CI 1.01-1.10]. In the mutually adjusted model, only BADL (HR = 1.24, 95% CI 1.16-1.32) and IADL (HR = 1.10, 95% CI 1.04-1.17) remained independently associated with mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

Measures of subjectively assessed health are important indicators of mortality. Our study shows that of the different measures of subjective health, perceived physical health predicts mortality over and above mental health. Conversely, the association between mental health and mortality may partly be explained by poor perceived physical health.

Depression and chronic pain in the elderly: links and management challenges

Aging is an inevitable process and represents the accumulation of bodily alterations over time. Depression and chronic pain are highly prevalent in elderly populations. It is estimated that 13% of the elderly population will suffer simultaneously from the two conditions. Accumulating evidence suggests than neuroinflammation plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of both depression and chronic pain. Apart from the common pathophysiological mechanisms, however, the two entities have several clinical links. Their management is challenging for the pain physician; however, both pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic approaches are available and can be used when the two conditions are comorbid in the elderly patients.

Self-care and health-related quality of life in chronic heart failure: A longitudinal analysis

BACKGROUND

Self-care is assumed to benefit health outcomes in patients with chronic heart failure (HF), but the evidence is conflicting for health-related quality of life (HRQOL). The aim of this study was to examine the association of (changes in) self-care with HRQOL while adjusting for psychological distress.

METHODS

In total, 459 patients (mean age = 66.1 ± 10.5 years, 73% male) with chronic HF completed questionnaires at baseline and at 6, 12 and 18 months of follow-up. Self-care and HF-specific HRQOL were quantified with the European Heart Failure Self-care Behaviour scale and the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire.

RESULTS

Using general linear models, multivariable between-subject (estimate = -0.14, p = 0.005) and no within-subject effects of self-care were found for better HRQOL over time. Associations between self-care and HRQOL were fully explained by depression (estimate = 1.77, p < 0.001). Anxiety (estimate = 4.49, p < 0.001) and Type D personality (estimate = 13.3, p < 0.001) were associated with poor HRQOL, but only partially accounted for the relationship between self-care and emotional HRQOL.

CONCLUSIONS

Self-care was prospectively associated with better disease-specific HRQOL in patients with HF, which was fully accounted for by depression, and partially accounted for by anxiety and Type D personality. Changes in self-care within a person did not affect HRQOL. Psychological distress should be considered in future efforts to address self-care and HRQOL.

Depression predicts mortality and hospitalization in heart failure: A six-years follow-up study

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of depressive symptoms (DS) and its relation on hospitalization for cardiovascular (CV) causes and all-cause mortality risk among outpatients with HF.

METHODS

A prospective study was conducted on 130 adult outpatients with HF. The Beck Depression Inventory Scale-second edition (BDI-II) was used to screen for DS. All-cause mortality and hospitalization for CV causes were registered over 6 years. Logistic regression and multinomial logistic regression analysis were used to evaluate the independent prognostic value of DS on mortality and hospitalization for CV causes after adjustment for clinical risk factors.

RESULTS

During a mean follow-up of 6 years, 44% of patients were classified as having DS. Sixty-two participants died for all causes, representing 61% of those with DS and 37% of those without (p=0.006); Forty-nine participants (38%) were hospitalized for CV causes, representing 49% of those with DS and 29% of those without (p=0.027). Logistic regression analysis indicated that DS predicted all-cause mortality (OR: 2.905; 95% CI:1.228-6.870; p=0.006) and multinomial logistic regression indicated that DS were predictive of hospitalization for CV causes (OR: 3.169; 95% CI: 1.230-8.164; p=0.027). These associations were independent of conventional risk factors.

LIMITATIONS

Only outpatient sample; measure of DS only at baseline; cause of death was not known.

CONCLUSION

This study, first held in a portuguese population, showed that DS are independent predictors of death and hospitalization for CV causes among HF patients and its impact persists over 6 years.

Cognitive Function in Heart Failure Is Associated With Nonsomatic Symptoms of Depression But Not Somatic Symptoms

BACKGROUND

Patients with heart failure (HF) have high rates of cognitive impairment and depressive symptoms. Depressive symptoms have been associated with greater cognitive impairments in HF; however, it is not known whether particular clusters of depressive symptoms are more detrimental to cognition than others.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to identify whether somatic and/or nonsomatic depressive symptom clusters were associated with cognitive function in persons with HF.

METHODS

Participants were 326 HF patients (40.5% women, 26.7% non-white race-ethnicity, aged 68.6 ± 9.7 years). Depressive symptoms were measured using a depression questionnaire commonly used in medical populations: the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. Somatic and nonsomatic subscale scores were created using previous factor analytic results. A neuropsychological battery tested attention, executive function, and memory. Composites were created using averages of age-adjusted scaled scores. Regressions adjusting for demographic and clinical factors were conducted.

RESULTS

Regressions revealed that Patient Health Questionnaire-9 total was associated with attention (β = -.14, P = .008) and executive function (β = -.17, P = .001). When analyzed separately, the nonsomatic subscale, but not the somatic symptoms subscale (P values ≥ .092), was associated with attention scores (β = -.15, P = .004) and memory (β = -.11, P = .044). Both nonsomatic (β = -.18, P < .001) and somatic (β = -.11, P = .048) symptoms were related to executive function. When included together, only the nonsomatic symptom cluster was associated with attention (β = -.15, P = .020) and executive function (β = -.19, P = .003).

CONCLUSIONS

Greater overall depressive symptom severity was associated with poorer performance on multiple cognitive domains, an effect driven primarily by the nonsomatic symptoms of depression.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

These findings suggest that screening explicitly for nonsomatic depressive symptoms may be warranted and that the mechanisms underlying the depression-cognitive function relationship in HF are not solely related to sleep or appetite disturbance. Thus, interventions that target patients' somatic symptoms only (eg, poor appetite or fatigue) may not yield maximum cognitive benefit compared with a comprehensive treatment that targets depressed mood, anhedonia, and other nonsomatic symptoms.

Somatic, but not cognitive-affective, symptoms are associated with reduced heart rate variability in individuals with dysphoria

Background: Somatic, but not cognitive–affective, symptoms of depression have been associated with reduced heart rate variability (HRV), and with poor prognosis in cardiovascular patients. However, factors concomitant with cardiovascular diseases may confound the relationship between somatic symptoms of depression and reduced HRV. Therefore, this study examined whether reduced HRV was differentially associated with cognitive–affective and somatic symptoms of depression in medically healthy individuals with and without dysphoria.

Methods: Self-reported cognitive–affective and somatic symptoms as measured with the Beck Depression Inventory-II questionnaire and time and frequency domain parameters of HRV were collected in 62 medically healthy individuals, of whom 25 with and 37 without dysphoria.

Results: Somatic, but not cognitive–affective, symptoms of depression were inversely associated with SD of NN intervals (β = -0.476, p < 0.05), number of interval differences of successive NN intervals greater than 50 ms (NN50; β = -0.498, p < 0.03), and HRV total power (β = -0.494, p < 0.04) in the group with dysphoria, after controlling for sex, anxiety, and lifestyle factors. Cognitive–affective and somatic symptoms were not related to any of the HRV parameters in the group without dysphoria (all ps > 0.24).

Conclusion: By showing that the relationship between somatic depressive symptoms and reduced HRV extends to medically healthy individuals with dysphoria, the present findings suggest that this association is independent of factors concomitant with cardiovascular diseases. The present study also suggests that individuals with somatic rather than cognitive–affective subsets of depressive symptoms may be at greater risk for developing cardiovascular diseases.

Family conflict and somatic symptoms over 10 years: a growth mixture model analysis

OBJECTIVE

While family conflict and somatic symptoms are mutually associated, few longitudinal studies have examined multiple (heterogeneous) trajectory subgroups for family conflict and somatic symptoms and their covariation over time. The aim of this study was to identify heterogeneous trajectory subgroups for family conflict and somatic symptoms and their joint trajectories.

METHODS

A representative sample of 424 community participants completed surveys at baseline and 1-, 4-, and 10-year follow-ups. Family conflict and somatic symptoms were assessed at each wave. Covariates (age, gender, marital status, education, and medical conditions) were assessed at baseline. Growth mixture modeling (GMM) was used to identify heterogeneous trajectory subgroups for family conflict and somatic symptoms. A parallel process GMM was used to examine joint trajectory subgroup membership between family conflict and somatic symptoms.

RESULTS

There were three trajectory subgroups for family conflict: stable low; worsening; and improving, and three somewhat similar trajectory subgroups for somatic symptoms: stable low; stable moderate; and improving. Family conflict and somatic symptom trajectory subgroup memberships were jointly associated. Individuals who had stable low family conflict were most likely to follow a stable low somatic symptom trajectory. Individuals who improved in family conflict were most likely to continue to have stable low somatic symptoms or improve in somatic symptoms. Moreover, individuals who had stable moderate somatic symptoms were most likely to show worsening family conflict.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrates heterogeneous family conflict and somatic symptom trajectories and indicates that these trajectories covary over time.

Components of depression and 6-year mortality after an acute coronary syndrome

BACKGROUND

Post-myocardial infarct depression includes both somatic depressive symptoms and nonsomatic cognitive symptoms. Their respective relationships to long-term survival are unclear.

METHODS

Depression was diagnosed by measuring the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) on consecutive patients who presented with acute coronary syndrome in 2005. Six-year mortality data were extracted from the National Health Index. This study investigated whether mortality was related to the somatic or cognitive elements of the BDI-II score, controlling for baseline characteristics including the Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events score. The BDI-II, somatic, and cognitive scores were treated as continuous variables.

RESULTS

Of the 277 patients, 52 died over 6 years. Higher BDI-II score did not predict mortality at 6 years (odds ratio [OR], 1.02; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.98-1.06). In the Cognitive/Affective-Somatic model, somatic depressive symptoms (OR, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.01-1.20) predicted all-cause mortality, but cognitive/affective depressive symptoms (OR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.96-1.08) did not. This association attenuated after controlling for age and sex (OR, 1.10; 95% CI, 0.99-1.22), and age, sex, and Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events score (OR, 1.09; 95% CI, 0.99-1.21). Results from the Somatic/Affective-Cognitive model did not reach statistical significance. Differences were small and unlikely to be of clinical importance.

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with acute coronary syndrome, those who died had a higher baseline BDI-II score, particularly somatic score, although this did not reach statistical significance.

Prolonged fatigue in Ukraine and the United States: Prevalence and risk factors

BACKGROUND

Prolonged, severe, unalleviated fatigue may be disabling whether it occurs on its own or in conjunction with medical or psychiatric conditions. This paper compares the prevalence and correlates of prolonged fatigue in general population samples in Ukraine versus the U.S.

METHODS

Population surveys were conducted in 2002 in both Ukraine (Ukraine World Mental Health [WMH] Survey) and the U.S. (National Comorbidity Survey-Replication; NCS-R). Both surveys administered the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI 3.0), which contained modules assessing: neurasthenia (prolonged fatigue); mood, anxiety, and alcohol/drug use disorders; chronic medical conditions; and demographic characteristics. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine risk factors in each country.

RESULTS

The lifetime prevalence of prolonged fatigue was higher in Ukraine (5.2%) than the U.S. (3.7%). In both countries, one-fifth of individuals with prolonged fatigue had no medical or DSM-IV psychiatric condition. Also in both settings, fatigue was significantly associated with sociodemographic characteristics (being female, not working, and married before) as well as early onset and adult episodes of mood/anxiety disorder. Fatigue prevalence in Ukraine increased with age, but decreased in the U.S. at age 70. Unique risk factors for fatigue in Ukraine included lower socio-economic status, Ukrainian vs Russian ethnicity, and cardiovascular disease. Unique risk factors in the U.S. were parental depression/anxiety, adult episodes of alcohol/drugs, pain conditions, and other health problems.

CONCLUSIONS

The lifetime prevalence of prolonged fatigue in Ukraine was 40% higher than that found in U.S. data. In addition, fatigue prevalence increased sharply with age in Ukraine perhaps due to limited social and medical resources and greater comorbidity.

Depression is the strongest predictor of long-term outcome in patients with chronic nonischemic heart failure

Introduction

Despite advances in medicine, chronic heart failure (CHF) still remains a significant clinical problem associated with poor outcome.

Aim of the study

To determine risk factors for major adverse cardiac events (MACE) in three-year follow-up in patients with CHF of nonischemic etiology.

Material and methods

The prospective study included consecutive hospitalized patients with stable CHF (LVEDD > 57 mm; LVEF < 40%) and symptom duration > 6 months. Study exclusion criteria were: serious neurological and/or psychiatric diseases, stenoses in epicardial coronary arteries in coronarography, active myocarditis confirmed by myocardial biopsy, diseases of the respiratory system with pulmonary hypertension, presence of heart defects, neoplastic or connective tissue disease, documented infectious diseases at least three months before inclusion in the study, diabetes, liver cirrhosis, chronic kidney disease (eGFR < 30 ml/min/1.73 m²), alcoholism, planned heart transplantation. Depression severity was assessed with the Beck and the Hamilton Scales. Depression was diagnosed based on the ICD-10 criteria. Clinical follow-up began on admission and lasted three years.

Results

The analysis encompassed 199 patients aged 49 (41-54), who met the inclusion/exclusion criteria. Depression was diagnosed in 30% of the patients. Independent factors increasing the risk of MACE (death, transplantation, ventricular assist device, hospitalization) were: depression (HR: 2.26; p < 0.001), E/A index (HR: 1.31; p < 0.01), right ventricular dimension (HR: 1.06; p < 0.01), hsCRP level (HR: 1.06; p < 0.01) and alkaline phosphatase activity in blood serum (HR: 1.01; p < 0.05).

Conclusions

Factors affecting 3-year outcome are: depression, right ventricular dimension, the E/A index, alkaline phosphatase activity and the level of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP).

Identification of symptom clusters among patients with heart failure: an international observational study

BACKGROUND

Virtually all patients with heart failure experience multiple symptoms simultaneously, yet clinicians and researchers usually consider symptoms in isolation. Recognizing and responding early to escalating symptoms is essential to preventing hospitalizations in heart failure, yet patients have considerable difficulty recognizing symptoms. Identification of symptom clusters could improve symptom recognition, but cultural differences may be present that must be considered.

OBJECTIVES

To identify and compare symptom clusters in heart failure patients from the United States, Europe and Asia.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional, observational study.

SETTINGS

In- and out-patient settings in three regions of the world: Asia (i.e., China and Taiwan); Europe (i.e., the Netherlands and Sweden); and the United States.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 720 patients with confirmed heart failure. Propensity scoring using New York Heart Association Classification was used to match participants from each of the three regions.

METHODS

Symptoms were identified using the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire. To identify symptom clusters we used cluster analysis with the hierarchical cluster agglomerative approach. We used the Euclidean distance to measure the similarity of variables. Proximity between groups of variables was measured using Ward's method. The resulting clusters were displayed with dendrograms, which show the proximity of variables to each other on the basis of semi-partial R-squared scores.

RESULTS

There was a core group of symptoms that formed two comparable clusters across the countries. Dyspnea, difficulty in walking or climbing, fatigue/increased need to rest, and fatigue/low energy were grouped into a cluster, which was labeled as a physical capacity symptom cluster. Worrying, feeling depressed, and cognitive problems were grouped into a cluster, which was labeled as an emotional/cognitive symptom cluster. The symptoms of edema and trouble sleeping were variable among the countries and fell into different clusters.

CONCLUSION

Despite the diversity in cultures studied, we found that symptoms clustered similarly among the cultural groups. Identification of similar symptoms clusters among patients with heart failure may improve symptom recognition in both patients and healthcare providers.