Unique contributions of heart failure and chronic pain on physical function and quality of life in older adults

AIMS The aims of this study were to investigate if chronic pain presence is significantly increased in older adults with heart failure (HF) compared to those without HF, and if a combination of pain and HF reduced quality of life and physical function. METHODS Retrospective cross-sectional survey and medical record data from 41,395 participants age ≥65 in the All of Us Research Program were analyzed using linear and logistic regression. RESULTS Participants with HF had a higher prevalence of chronic pain than those without HF but was not statistically significant. Having pain only, HF only, and both pain and HF were associated with reduced quality of life and physical function when compared to having no HF or pain. However, these associations were the strongest in those with both chronic pain and HF. CONCLUSIONS A combination of HF and chronic pain markedly worsened outcomes, underscoring the need for improved pain management.