Key result
Intrinsic capacity impairment links to ~3-point lower self-care maintenance in older heart failure patients.
Why the study?
The characteristics of intrinsic capacity impairment in older adults with heart failure and its association with self-care across composite and specific domains required investigation.
Does composite and domain-specific intrinsic capacity impairment affect self-care maintenance, management, and confidence in hospitalized older adults with heart failure?
Cross-Sectional (n=215)
Yes
Does composite and domain-specific intrinsic capacity impairment affect self-care maintenance, management, and confidence in hospitalized older adults with heart failure?
Nearly all hospitalized older adults with heart failure exhibit intrinsic capacity impairment, which is independently associated with poorer self-care maintenance and lower self-care confidence, highlighting the need for routine multidomain geriatric assessment.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
May warrant IC screening in older HF self-care assessment; leaves open whether targeted interventions improve outcomes.
Objective This study aimed to characterize intrinsic capacity (IC) impairment in older adults with heart failure and to investigate its association with self-care across composite and domain-specific domains. Methods This cross-sectional study recruited 215 patients with heart failure from two tertiary hospitals in Wuxi, China. IC was assessed across five domains in line with WHO guidelines: cognition, locomotion, vitality, sensory, and psychological. Self-care was evaluated using the Self-Care Heart Failure Index version 6.2. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficients, multiple linear regression, and exploratory interaction analyses. Results Our study found that 99.5% of participants exhibited impairment in at least one IC domain, with the most common co-occurring impairment in cognition, vitality, and locomotor domains. Older age was significantly associated with poorer self-care maintenance (B = −0.37, 95% CI [−0.67, −0.07], P = 0.014), self-care management (B = −0.64, 95% CI [−1.02, −0.26], P = 0.001), and self-care confidence (B = −0.38, 95% CI [−0.77, −0.0004], P = 0.049). Higher educational level was significantly associated with better self-care maintenance (B = 9.80, 95% CI [3.87, 15.73], P = 0.001). A higher composite IC score was significantly associated with poorer maintenance (B = −2.81, 95% CI [−4.68, −0.95], P = 0.003) and lower confidence (B = −3.53, 95% CI [−5.95, −1.11], P = 0.004), but not with management. Domain-specific analyses showed that cognitive, psychological, and sensory impairments were associated with poorer self-care maintenance, whereas cognitive, locomotor, and psychological impairments were associated with lower self-care confidence. No IC domain was significantly associated with self-care management. Exploratory interaction analyses identified several potential moderating effects involving age, New York Heart Association class and education for associations between IC impairments and self-care. Conclusion Healthcare professionals should routinely assess IC in older adults with heart failure. Addressing multimodal intrinsic capacity impairment, particularly among the oldest patients and those with lower educational attainment, may help improve self-care.
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Xu et al. (2026) conducted a cross-sectional in Heart Failure (n=215). Intrinsic capacity (IC) impairment vs. Preserved or lower composite intrinsic capacity impairment was evaluated on Self-care maintenance (Self-Care Heart Failure Index v6.2) (B -2.81, 95% CI -4.68 to -0.95, p=0.003). Higher composite intrinsic capacity impairment was associated with poorer self-care maintenance and confidence in older heart failure patients.
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