Impact of iron deficiency on health-related quality of life and functional status in adults with chronic heart failure in Nigeria

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Iron deficiency (ID) has been associated with poor quality of life in chronic heart failure (HF) patients, especially among Whites. Reports are, however, scarce among Africans on the impact of ID in chronic HF among Black Africans. This study aimed to describe the impact of ID on the quality of life among Africans with chronic HF, using the KCCQ-12 instrument. METHODS: One hundred and forty (140) subjects with HF were recruited from the cardiology Units of LAUTECH and Bowen University Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso, Nigeria. ID was defined by standardized criteria. KCCQ-12 was used to assess the quality of life among the participants. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS-25.0. P < 0.05 was taken as statistically significant. RESULTS: ID was present in 60% of the study participants. Patients with ID performed worse than patients with normal iron status in the Six-minutes walk test distance (6MWTD) in the study. They also scored significantly lower in symptom frequency score, physical limitation score (67.1 ± 27.6 vs. 78.6 ± 17.3 respectively, p < 0.05), clinical summary score (67.1 ± 26.7 vs. 78.3 ± 16.3, respectively p < 0.05), and social limitation score (70.1 ± 39.2 vs. 82.4 ± 25.9 respectively, p < 0.05), compared to those with normal iron status denoting worse quality of life. The mean 6MWTD was 180.3 ± 89.3 m among ID vs. 256.0 ± 100.3 m, p < 0.001 in normal iron status participants. CONCLUSION: This study shows that ID is associated with worse functional capacity and the quality of life among HF subjects in Nigeria, irrespective of anaemia status. Treatment of ID in HF is a potential way to improve morbidity and mortality among Africans with HF.