Symptoms in post-COVID-19 patients who require hospitalization can persist for months, significantly affecting their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Thus, the present study aimed to discuss the main findings regarding HRQoL in post-COVID-19 patients who required hospitalization. An electronic search was performed in the MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science, LILACS, and Scopus databases, without date and language restrictions, until July 2021. Twenty-four articles were included in the analysis. It seems that HRQoL partially improved soon after hospital discharge, although the negative impact on HRQoL may persist for months. The physical and mental aspects are affected because patients report pain, discomfort, anxiety, and depression. The HRQoL of COVID-19 infected patients was worse than that of uninfected patients. Additionally, HRQoL seemed worse in patients admitted to the intensive care unit than in those who remained in the ward. Improvements in HRQoL after hospital discharge are independent of imaging improvement, and there seems to be no association between HRQoL after hospital discharge and disease severity on hospital admission. Many factors have been identified as determinants of HRQoL, with women and advanced age being the most related to worse HRQOL, followed by the duration of invasive mechanical ventilation and the need for intensive care. Other factors included the presence and number of comorbidities, lower forced vital capacity, high body mass index, smoking history, undergraduate education, and unemployment. In conclusion, these findings may aid in clinical management and should be considered in the aftercare of patients.

Introduction: Chagas cardiomyopathy (ChC) is highly stigmatized, and the presence of depressive symptoms may be a common feature. However, its determinants remain unclear. Therefore, the present study aimed to verify the prevalence of depression and the clinical, echocardiographic, functional, and quality of life factors associated with depressive symptoms in patients with ChC and predominantly preserved cardiac function. Methods: Thirty-five patients with ChC (aged 40 to 60 years, 66% men, NYHA I-III) were evaluated by echocardiography, cardiopulmonary exercise testing, 6-minute walk test (6MWT), and Mini-Mental State Examination. Physical activity level was assessed using the Human Activity Profile (HAP) and health-related quality of life was assessed using the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36). Depressive symptoms were evaluated using the Beck Depression Inventory. A cutoff point greater than 9 was indicative of depression. Results: Depression was detected in 13 patients (37%). In the univariate analysis, female sex, NYHA functional class, body mass index, HAP score, mental summary of SF-36, peak oxygen uptake, and 6MWT distance were associated with depressive symptoms. The final model showed that only the HAP score (B =-0.533; 95% confidence interval [CI]:-0.804 to-0.262) and SF-36 mental summary (B =-0.269; 95% CI:-0.386 to-0.153) remained as independent predictors of depressive symptoms in patients with ChC. Conclusions: Depression was prevalent in patients with ChC and predominantly preserved cardiac function. Physical activity and mental health were independent risk factors for depressive symptoms.

No abstract

Objective Systolic dysfunction is a well‐established marker of mortality in patients with Chagas cardiomyopathy (CC). However, its diagnosis is expensive and useful tools for screening these patients are required. The evaluation of the health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) detects the patient’s perception of the disease’s impact. However, its accuracy in identifying patients with CC and systolic dysfunction is unknown. The study aimed to verify the sensitivity, specificity and predictive values of the physical and mental components related to HRQoL in identifying patients with CC and systolic dysfunction. Methods 75 patients with CC, aged 49 (95% confidence interval: 47–51) years, were evaluated by echocardiography and Short‐Form of Health Survey (SF‐36) questionnaire. Systolic dysfunction was defined by left ventricular ejection fraction <52% for men and <54% for women and left ventricular diastolic diameter >55 mm. Results Most patients (73%) had systolic dysfunction, with lower HRQoL values in the physical functioning, physical role functioning and general health perceptions domains and in the physical component summary. The accuracy of identifying patients with systolic dysfunction by the scores of physical components was 73% and 62% of mental components. The optimal cut‐off point was 46 for physical and 54 for mental components, with respective positive predictive values of 91% and 80%. Conclusion The evaluation of the HRQoL by the SF‐36, a low‐cost instrument, can be useful in identifying patients with systolic dysfunction, assisting in the screening and risk stratification of patients.

Chagas disease (CD) is a neglected tropical disease associated with poverty in which patients are surrounded by stigma. These factors can contribute to reducing health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Therefore, a broad discussion of HRQoL in the CD population is required. This study aimed to discuss the main findings of HRQoL in patients with CD, focusing on the association between sociodemographic and lifestyle factors, echocardiographic and functional determinants, and the effect of non-invasive interventions on HRQoL. A literature search of the MEDLINE, Web of Science, CINAHL, Scopus, and LILACS databases was performed with no data or language restrictions. Twenty-two articles were included in this meta-analysis. In general, HRQoL is worse in patients with CD than in healthy individuals, particularly in the presence of cardiovascular and/or gastrointestinal symptoms. Sex, age, functional class, level of physical activity, healthy habits, and medications received could affect HRQoL. Among the echocardiographic and functional determinants, decreased systolic function seems to negatively affect HRQoL. No association with the peak oxygen uptake was observed in the maximal tests. By contrast, well-tolerated field tests with submaximal intensities were associated with HRQoL. Both pharmaceutical care and exercise training have a positive effect on the HRQoL of patients with Chagas cardiomyopathy, and the mental component can be a prognostic marker in this population. In conclusion, assessment of HRQoL can provide important information about the health status of patients with CD, and its use in clinical practice is warranted.

Fundamento: A doença de Chagas leva à redução da capacidade funcional. Entretanto, o estágio em que o comprometimento funcional é detectável permanece obscuro. Objetivos: O presente estudo teve como objetivo comparar a capacidade funcional de pacientes em diferentes estágios da doença de Chagas e de indivíduos saudáveis e verificar os determinantes do consumo de oxigênio de pico (VO2pico). Métodos: Em um estudo transversal, foram selecionados 160 indivíduos, 35 saudáveis e 125 com doença de Chagas. No grupo chagásico, 61 (49%) estavam na forma indeterminada da doença, 45 (36%) com cardiomiopatia chagásica (CC) e função cardíaca preservada e 19 (15%) com disfunção cardíaca e CC dilatada. Os dados foram analisados por meio de análise de regressão univariada e multivariada. A significância estatística foi fixada em 5%. Resultados: Pacientes na forma indeterminada da doença apresentaram capacidade funcional semelhante a indivíduos saudáveis (p> 0,05). Pacientes com ChC e função cardíaca preservada apresentaram VO2pico menor que os pacientes na forma indeterminada (p <0,05), mas apresentaram valores de VO2pico semelhantes ao ChC dilatado (p = 0,46). A idade, sexo masculino, classe funcional da NYHA, pressão arterial diastólica, razão entre a velocidade do fluxo transmitral diastólico precoce e a velocidade anular mitral diastólica precoce, a fração de ejeção do ventrículo esquerdo (FEVE) e o diâmetro diastólico final do ventrículo esquerdo foram associados à capacidade funcional. Porém, apenas idade, sexo masculino, FEVE e classe funcional da NYHA permaneceram associados ao VO2pico no modelo final (R2 ajustado = 0,60). Conclusão: Pacientes com CC apresentam menor capacidade funcional do que pacientes na forma indeterminada. FEVE, idade, sexo masculino e classe funcional da NYHA foram determinantes do VO2pico em pacientes com doença de Chagas.

Patients with Chagas disease have reduced health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Hence, we aimed to identify the factors that mostly affected their HRQoL. This was a systematic review of qualitative studies. The Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature, Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online, Excerpta Medica Database, Web of Science, and SciVerse Scopus databases were searched for relevant studies without language or date restrictions. The search and data analysis were performed by independent reviewers; all qualitative studies that reported the factors that had an impact on the HRQoL of patients with Chagas disease were included. The risk of bias was assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program Qualitative Study Checklist; confidence in the evidence was evaluated using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation-Confidence in the Evidence from Reviews of Qualitative approach. Five studies were included in this review: four in Brazil and one in California, United States, with immigrants from Central and South America. The sample consisted of 207 patients with chronic Chagas disease. Stigma, physical limitations, work absenteeism, emotional or mental aspects, fear of treatment, and fear of the future had the strongest impact on the HRQoL. All items showed moderate confidence except for fear of treatment (low confidence). The physical, emotional, mental, and cultural aspects affected the HRQoL of patients with chronic Chagas disease. Identification of these factors is important in the development of strategies aimed at improving the HRQoL of this population.

No abstract