The present study evaluated how heart failure (HF) negatively impacts health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) patients and explored the major clinical determinants associated with HRQoL impairment in this population.
This was a cross-sectional single-center study of health-related HRQoL that included 91 consecutive patients with HCM. Evaluation was performed based on a comprehensive protocol that included the recommended diagnostic studies, as well as administration of the translated validated version of the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) (CV Outcomes Inc) as a health status measure.
The cohort included 52 (57%) males, median age 58 (20–85) years. The median global KCCQ score was 67 (12.5–100) corresponding to a moderate impairment in HRQoL. There was an inverse correlation between the median global KCCQ score and NYHA class (Kendall’s tau b coefficient r − 0.33, p = 0.001). Patients with pulmonary hypertension (PHT), defined as resting pulmonary artery systolic pressure of ≥ 45 mmHg, presented a significantly worse HRQoL as compared to those without PHT (median KCCQ score 56.2 vs 77.5, p = 0.013). The KCCQ score mildly correlated with age (r − 0.18, p = 0.014), history of syncope (r − 0.18, p = 0.045), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (r 0.31, p < 0.001), plasmatic creatinine (r − 0.18, p = 0.017) and urea levels (r − 0.27, p < 0.001), left ventricular (LV) end-systolic dimensions (r − 0.18, p = 0.014), maximal provoked intraventricular gradient (r 0.20, p = 0.039), LV ejection fraction (r 0.15, p = 0.04), average E/e′ (r − 0.16, p = 0.039), pulmonary acceleration time (r 0.21, p = 0.007), pulmonary artery systolic pressure (r − 0.20, p = 0.016). In ordinal regression, the independent predictors of HRQoL were NYHA class and eGFR.