Relation of heart rate recovery to psychological distress and quality of life in patients with chronic heart failure

von Känel, Roland; Saner, Hugo; Kohls, Sonja; Barth, Jürgen; Znoj, Hansjörg; Saner, Gaby; Schmid, Jean-Paul (2009). Relation of heart rate recovery to psychological distress and quality of life in patients with chronic heart failure. European journal of cardiovascular prevention & rehabilitation, 16(6), pp. 645-650. Los Angeles, Calif.: Sage 10.1097/HJR.0b013e3283299542

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BACKGROUND: Psychological distress, poor disease-specific quality of life (QoL), and reduction in vagally mediated early heart rate recovery (HRR) after exercise, all previously predicted morbidity and mortality in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). We hypothesized lower HRR with greater psychological distress and poorer QoL in CHF. DESIGN: All assessments were made at the beginning of a comprehensive cardiac outpatient rehabilitation intervention program. METHODS: Fifty-six CHF patients (mean 58+/-12 years, 84% men) completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the Minnesota Living With Heart Failure Questionnaire. HRR was determined as the difference between HR at the end of exercise and 1 min after exercise termination (HRR-1). RESULTS: Elevated levels of anxiety symptoms (P=0.005) as well as decreased levels of the Minnesota Living With Heart Failure Questionnaire total (P = 0.025), physical (P=0.026), and emotional (P=0.017) QoL were independently associated with blunted HRR-1. Anxiety, total, physical, and emotional QoL explained 11.4, 8, 7.8, and 9.0%, respectively, of the variance after controlling for covariates. Depressed mood was not associated with HRR-1 (P=0.20). CONCLUSION: Increased psychological distress with regard to elevated anxiety symptoms and impaired QoL were independent correlates of reduced HRR-1 in patients with CHF. Reduced vagal tone might explain part of the adverse clinical outcome previously observed in CHF patients in relation to psychological distress and poor disease-specific QoL.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

04 Faculty of Medicine > Department of Head Organs and Neurology (DKNS) > Clinic of Neurology > Centre of Competence for Psychosomatic Medicine
04 Faculty of Medicine > Department of Cardiovascular Disorders (DHGE) > Clinic of Cardiology
04 Faculty of Medicine > Pre-clinic Human Medicine > Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (ISPM)
07 Faculty of Human Sciences > Institute of Psychology > Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy

UniBE Contributor:

von Känel, Roland, Saner, Hugo Ernst, Barth, Jürgen, Znoj, Hans Jörg, Schmid-Walker, Jean-Paul

ISSN:

1741-8267

ISBN:

19801939

Publisher:

Sage

Language:

English

Submitter:

Factscience Import

Date Deposited:

04 Oct 2013 15:09

Last Modified:

02 Mar 2023 23:23

Publisher DOI:

10.1097/HJR.0b013e3283299542

PubMed ID:

19801939

Web of Science ID:

000272684900002

BORIS DOI:

10.7892/boris.30193

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/30193 (FactScience: 191344)

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