Quality of life in early heart failure. The study of men born in 1913.

To see whether well-being and quality-of-life are affected in congestive heart failure (CHF), a number of health variables, self-assessed and objectively measured, were estimated among 67-year-old men sampled from the general population of Gothenburg, Sweden. Based on history, physical examination and drug treatment, 407 men were studied and grouped into 4 stages of CHF, ranging from no signs or symptoms of CHF to advanced CHF. Men with CHF had more of other cardiovascular disease manifestations, utilized more health care, and reported less well-being and a higher rate of self-assessed disability than men with no CHF. These quality-of-life changes were found not only in the overt cases but also in early CHF. Regardless of CHF stage, quality-of-life seemed more affected in men on drug treatment, compared with those not treated.