COVID-19 worsens quality of life in elderly heart failure patients: a clinical study

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has significantly worsened the health and quality of life of vulnerable populations, particularly elderly patients with heart failure. This study aimed to assess the effect of COVID-19 infection on the quality of life in elderly patients with heart failure during the pandemic.

This retrospective case-control study included elderly heart failure patients admitted to the Second People's Hospital of Lanzhou between December 2022 and December 2023, all of whom were diagnosed during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. All patients underwent COVID-19 nucleic acid testing upon admission. Among the 96 heart failure patients who tested positive for COVID-19 and the 68 who tested negative, multiple validated instruments were used to assess both physical and mental health quality of life. These instruments included the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ), 36-Item Short Form Health Survey physical component summary score (SF-36 PCS), 6-Minute Walking Test (6MWT), Geriatric Depression Scale-15 (GDS-15), Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) Total, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form (MNA-SF), and the Fatigue, Resistance, Ambulation, Illness, and Loss of weight (FRAIL) Scale.

Heart failure patients who tested positive for COVID-19 exhibited significantly lower blood pressure, SF-36 scores, and 6MWT distances compared to those who tested negative (P<0.05). Additionally, the COVID-19-positive group had higher MLHFQ scores, older average age, a greater proportion of patients in NYHA class III-IV, more frequent electrolyte imbalances, elevated D-dimer, C-reactive protein (CRP), and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels, and longer hospital stays (P<0.05). These patients also exhibited higher levels of anxiety (SAS total), poorer sleep quality (PSQI), and greater frailty (FRAIL Scale) compared to their COVID-19-negative counterparts (P<0.05). In addition, heart failure patients with COVID-19 infection reported more severe symptoms of dyspnea and fatigue (P<0.05). Both age and COVID-19 infection were identified as significant factors negatively affecting the quality of life in this patient population.

COVID-19 infection significantly exacerbates the decline in quality of life in elderly patients with heart failure. This highlights the urgent need for strengthened, comprehensive treatment and targeted mental health support for this vulnerable group.