Objectives Quality of life (QoL) is a priority outcome in older adults suffering from cardiovascular diseases. Frailty and poor nutritional status may affect the QoL through mobility disorders and exhaustion. The objective of this study was to determine if physical frailty and nutritional status were associated with QoL, in older cardiology patients.
Methods Cross sectional, observational study conducted in a cardiology department from a university hospital. Participants (n = 100) were aged 70 and older. Collected data included age, sex, cardiac diseases, New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification, comorbidities (Charlson Index) and disability. A Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), including walking speed assessment was performed; handgrip strength were measured as well as Fried's frailty phenotype. Nutritional status was assessed using the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) and Body Mass Index (BMI), inflammation by C-reactive protein (CRP). QoL was assessed using the EORTC–QLQ questionnaire. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to study the associations between all recorded parameters and QoL.
Results In participants (mean age: 79.3 ± 6.7 years; male: 59%), Charlson index, arrhythmia, heart failure, NYHA classⅢ-Ⅳ, MNA, disability, walking speed, SPPB score, frailty and CRP were significantly associated with QoL in univariate analysis. Multivariate analysis showed that NYHA classⅢ-Ⅳ (P < 0.001), lower MNA score (P = 0.03), frailty (P < 0.0001), and higher CRP (P < 0.001) were independently associated with decreased QoL.
Conclusions Frailty, nutritional status and inflammation were independently associated with poor QoL. Further studies are needed to assess the efficacy of nutritional and physical interventions on QoL in this population.
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