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| Research article summary (published 27 Feb 2009): |
Vital exhaustion in chronic heart failure: symptom profiles and clinical outcome.
Full Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the components of vital exhaustion (VE) in chronic heart failure (CHF) patients and to examine whether psychological symptom profiles based on these components are differently associated with health status and cardiac rehospitalization. METHODS: Consecutive CHF patients (N=381) were assessed for VE at baseline using the Maastricht Questionnaire and assessed for health status at 6-month follow-up using the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire. Information on cardiac rehospitalization was obtained from the patients' medical records. RESULTS: Principal component analysis revealed four essential features of VE: fatigue, cognitive-affective depressive symptoms, sleep difficulties, and lack of concentration. Latent class cluster analysis using these components identified three subgroups with different symptom profiles: a subgroup without VE, a first vitally exhausted subgroup (VE1; fatigue and lack of concentration, but with a relative absence of cognitive-affective depressive symptoms and sleep difficulties), and a second more severe, vitally exhausted subgroup (VE2; elevated levels of all components). Both vitally exhausted subgroups were more likely to have impaired health status (VE1: beta=.36, P<.001; VE2: beta=.71, P<.001). VE2 was also associated with an increased risk of cardiac rehospitalization at 6-month follow-up (odds ratio=2.98; 95% confidence interval=1.01-8.83; P=.049). CONCLUSIONS: VE in CHF comprised four components (fatigue, cognitive-affective depressive symptoms, sleep difficulties, and lack of concentration) from which three different symptom profiles were derived. Subgroups with symptoms of VE were associated with adverse clinical outcome in CHF. In clinical practice, these results may help identify distinct groups of patients with potentially differential risks of adverse health outcomes.
Author information
Author/s: Smith, Otto R F (OR); Gidron, Yori (Y); Kupper, Nina (N); Winter, Jobst B (JB); Denollet, Johan (J);
Affiliation: Center on Research for Psychology in Somatic Diseases, Tilburg University, The Netherlands. robert.smith(-atsign-)psy-uvt.nl
Journal and publication information
Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Journal: Journal of psychosomatic research (J Psychosom Res), published in England. (Language: eng)
Reference: 2009-Mar; vol 66 (issue 3) : pp 195-201
Dates: Created 2009/02/23; Completed 2009/04/13;
PMID: 19232231, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 4/13/2009, IMS Date: 13 Apr 2009 00:00:00)
Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.
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