Self-Care and Pathophysiological Function in Patients with Chronic Heart Failure

BACKGROUND: Self-care is assumed to benefit physiological function associated with prognosis in patients with chronic HF, but studies examining these relations are lacking. This study aims to prospectively examine the association of self-reported HF self-care with HF-associated pathophysiological markers, including renal, hematological, and immune function. METHOD: Patients with chronic HF (n = 460, 66.2 ± 9.6 years, 75% men) completed questionnaires and provided blood samples at baseline and 12-month follow-up. Linear mixed models examined random intercept and fixed between- and within-subjects effects of global self-care and the individual self-care behaviors on log-transformed TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-10, the glomerular filtration rate of creatinine (GFR(creat)), and hemoglobin (Hb), controlling for sociodemographic and clinical covariates. RESULTS: Self-care was independently associated with lower GFR(creat) levels (β = − .14, P = .023) and improvement in self-care with a reduction in GFR(creat) (β = − .03, P = .042). Individual self-care behaviors were differentially associated with renal, inflammatory, and hematological markers. Regular exercise was associated with level differences in IL-6 (P < .001), and improvement in exercise was associated with increasing GFR(creat) (P = .002) and increasing Hb (P = .010). Fluid restriction was associated with lower overall GFR(creat) (P = .006), and improvement in fluid restriction was associated with decreasing GFR(creat) (P = .014). Low-sodium intake was associated with lower levels of Hb (P = .027), lower TNF-alpha (P = .011), and lower IL-10 (P = .029). Higher levels of medication adherence were associated with reduced pro-inflammatory activation (P < .007). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that better global self-care was associated with poorer renal function. Performing self-care behaviors such as regular exercise and medication adherence was associated with improved physiological functioning, while restriction of fluid and sodium, and the associated daily weight monitoring were associated with adverse levels of pathophysiological biomarkers.