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by Jill Ferguson, PhD

Please copy/paste the following text to properly cite this How Stuff Works article:

Ferguson, Jill. "How does heart failure affect quality of life?." 13 March 2008. HowStuffWorks.com. <http://health.howstuffworks.com/heart-failure-quality-of-life.htm> 10 October 2008.

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Heart Failure Patients and Disability

A group of researchers from the University of Michigan Health System and the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System studied the degree of disability among heart failure patients. Their study, based on responses from 10,626 survey respondents 65 years of age and older, has important implications for heart failure patients and their families and the health care system in this country.

heart bypass surgery

William F. Campbell/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Surgeons perform a coronary bypass operation, which is an option for patients with heart failure.

The study authors reported that, compared to people either with or without coronary heart disease, heart failure patients were:

More likely to require in-home care from family members or other unpaid caregivers
More likely to receive in-home care from a caregiver who is paid for that service
More likely to receive care in a nursing home
Much more likely to be disabled
Much more likely to have difficulties with daily activities such as grocery shopping and even walking across a room
More likely to experience geriatric conditions, clinical conditions that are highly prevalent in older adults (such as urinary incontinence, dementia and injuries from falling)

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Abdominal Bloating Abdominal Fullness Prematurely Afte... Abdominal Lumps Abdominal Mass Abdominal Pain Abdominal Rigidity Abdominal Sounds Abdominal Swelling Abnormal Posturing Abnormal Tooth Shape Abnormally Dark Or Light Skin Absent Menstruation Absent Thirst Agitation Ambiguous Genitalia Ankle Pain Appetite Decrease Appetite Increase Apraxia Arachnodactyly Armpit Lump Autistic Behavior Babinski's Reflex Bed Wetting Belching Binge Eating Blackheads Bleeding Gums Bleeding Into The Skin Blindness Blockage Of Leg Arteries Blood In The Semen Blood in Urine Bloody Or Tarry Stools Bone Pain Or Tenderness Bounding Pulse Bowel Incontinence Breast Lump Breast Pain Breath Odor Breath Sounds Breathing - Slowed Or Stopped Breathing Difficulty Breathing Difficulty When Lying Dow... 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