Relação entre a capacidade funcional e a qualidade de vida de pacientes portadores de insuficiência cardíaca assistidos em um ambulatório de referência

Abstract

Heart Failure (HF) is a clinical syndrome that impairs the functioning of the heart muscle during systole and/or diastole, leading to a functional impairment of the body. In view of the main signs and symptoms and the consequences arising from this health condition, functional capacity and quality of life, among other aspects, may undergo changes. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between functional capacity and quality of life in patients with HF assisted at a reference outpatient clinic in the State of Ceará. This is a cross-sectional study, with patients with HF, regardless of the cause, from May 2021 to September 2022. Patients were evaluated regarding functional capacity outcomes through the 6-minute walk test (6MWT) and quality of life through the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire – MLHFQ (Minnesota). A total of 102 patients were evaluated, 52 men, with a mean age of 57.9±13.7 years. Regarding the New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification, most were Class II (n=46, 45.1%) with a mean left ventricular ejection fraction of 46.7±15.8%. In the 6MWT, there was no difference between the realized and predicted distances and the MLHFQ was moderate. When the NYHA was stratified with the 6MWT and the MLHFQ, it was observed that the higher the classification, the worse the quality of life and functional capacity (p<0.05). When the 6MWT was correlated with the MLHFQ, a weak and inversely proportional correlation was observed (r=-0.33 p=0.001). We conclude that when taking into account the NYHA functional class, the higher the classification, the worse the quality of life, as well as the functional capacity.