Key result
In patients with heart failure, depressive symptoms were associated with new onset of pain symptoms at 12 months, an association that was mediated by fatigue at 6 months.
Why the study?
Depression, pain, and fatigue are common and bothersome symptoms in heart failure, and understanding their longitudinal pathways could inform treatment and improve quality of life.
Are depression and fatigue longitudinally associated with the development of pain in patients with heart failure?
Cohort (n=317)
Are depression and fatigue longitudinally associated with the development of pain in patients with heart failure?
In patients with heart failure, depression and fatigue are longitudinally associated with the development of new pain symptoms, suggesting these may be key targets for symptom management.
Should not yet change symptom management in heart failure; leaves open whether targeting depression or fatigue reduces incident pain.
OBJECTIVES: Depression, pain, and fatigue are common and bothersome symptoms in heart failure, a serious illness in older adults. Understanding longitudinal pathways among depression, pain, and fatigue in heart failure could inform treatment and improve quality of life. METHODS: = 317). Bootstrapped mediation was used to examine two longitudinal models of pain and depression, with fatigue at 6-months as the mediator. The outcome variables were 12-month pain and depression. RESULTS: Depressive symptoms were associated with new onset of pain symptoms; however, this association was mediated by fatigue. Pain was not associated with new depression or fatigue symptoms in this sample. DISCUSSION: In patients with heart-failure, worsening pain symptoms appear to be directly related to levels of depression and fatigue. These findings demonstrate that depression and fatigue may be key to reducing pain symptoms in this population.
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Sheffler et al. (2020) conducted a cohort in heart failure (n=317). Depressive symptoms was evaluated on 12-month pain and depression. In patients with heart failure, depressive symptoms were associated with new onset of pain symptoms at 12 months, an association that was mediated by fatigue at 6 months.
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