Aim: To study quality of life (QL) of patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) and QL changes resultant from mildronate therapy.
Materials and methods: QL was studied in 30 IHD patients with CHF of NYHA class II-IV, ejection fraction > 45%; 40 IHD patients without CHF and 30 healthy subjects. CHF patients were treated for 30 days with oral mildronate (250 mg 4 times a day). QL was assessed according to the method SF-36 Health Status Survey.
Results: QL in CHF patients is much lower than that of the controls. Objective severity of the disease and subjective satisfaction with life do not always coincide. Mildronate in a dose 1 g/day per os may be beneficial for LQ of CHF patients.
Conclusion: It is thought desirable to include QL in analysis of efficiency of managing patients with CHF. SF-36 is a tool able to follow up changes in QL of CHF patients within a short-term treatment period.