Unmarried status has been linked to a worse prognosis in both the general population and individuals with coronary artery disease in previous research. The predictive significance of marital status in patients with chronic heart failure was studied in this post-hoc analysis of the Extended Interdisciplinary Network Heart Failure (E-INH) trial.

The E-INH research comprised 1,022 patients who were hospitalized for decompensated heart failure between 2004 and 2007. 633 (63%) of the 1,008 patients who provided information on their marital status were married, while 375 (37%) were single, including 195 widowed, 96 never married, and 84 separated or divorced.
The Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire, a questionnaire specifically prepared for people with heart failure, was used to assess quality of life, social restrictions, and self-efficacy at the start of the study. The amount to which heart failure symptoms limit a patient’s capacity to interact socially, such as engaging in hobbies and leisure activities, or visiting friends and family, is referred to as social limitation. Patients’ perceptions of their abilities to prevent heart failure exacerbations and manage consequences are referred to as self-efficacy. The Patient Health Questionnaire was used to assess depressed mood (PHQ-9).

There were no changes in overall quality of life or sad mood between married and unmarried patients. However, when compared to the married group, the unmarried group scored lower on social limits and self-efficacy.

ref: ESC press – coromio