Low body mass index and disease duration as factors associated with depressive symptoms of Chinese inpatients with chronic heart failure

Abstract

Depression is common in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF), and is associated with an increased risk of adverse health outcomes. There is a paucity of data on this subject from the developing countries. The aim was to examine the prevalence and related factors of depressive symptoms among Chinese inpatients with CHF. A cross-sectional study was conducted. PHQ-9 questionnaire was used to assess depressive symptoms. The overall prevalence of depressive symptoms was 7.5%. Low BMI (OR = 4.837, CI = 1.278–18.301, p = 0.02), disease duration 3–5 years (OR = 5.033, CI = 1.248–20.292, p = 0.023) and 5–10 years (OR = 5.848, CI = 1.440–23.744, p = 0.013) were risk factors for depressive symptoms, while being married (OR = 0.304, CI = 0.123–0.753, p = 0.010) was protective factor. We should pay more attention to patients without a spouse, with low BMI and whose disease duration is between 3 and 10 years in Chinese inpatients with CHF.