Unique contributions of heart failure and chronic pain on physical function and quality of life in older adults.
Asa B Smith, Anna K Forster, Katelyn E Webster-Dekker and 1 others
PMID 41637774WHAT IT FOUND
After accounting for age, sex, race, comorbidities, depression and fatigue, heart failure alone was not associated with higher chronic pain prevalence.
Older adults with both heart failure and chronic pain had worse quality of life and physical function than those with either or neither.
Key findings
01Unadjusted chronic pain prevalence was 30.9% without heart failure and 36.7% with heart failure, but heart failure was not associated after adjustment.
02Compared with neither condition, chronic pain only, heart failure only, and both were associated with lower quality of life, and both together had the greatest reduction.
03Compared with neither condition, chronic pain only, heart failure only, and both were associated with lower physical function, and both together had the greatest reduction.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study used records and surveys from one time point, so it cannot show that heart failure or pain caused lower function or quality of life. Heart failure and chronic pain were identified from diagnosis codes, not from full clinical details such as echocardiograms, labs, or pain type. Quality of life and physical function were each measured with one question, so they may miss parts of the experience. The analysis excluded people missing sex, race, or gender information, so it may not apply to some vulnerable groups. Sleep, medications, body mass index and income were not analysed, so they could have influenced the results.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that heart failure increases chronic pain prevalence. The higher unadjusted rate did not hold after adjustment, and the study only shows associations, not that treating pain improves function.