%0 Journal Article
%T Differential aspects of stroke and congestive heart failure in quality of life reduction: a case series with three comparison groups
%A Elen B Pinto
%A Iara Maso
%A Julio LB Pereira
%A Thiago G Fukuda
%A Jamile C Seixas
%A Daniela F Menezes
%A Carolina Cincura
%A Iuri S Neville
%A Pedro AP Jesus
%A Jamary Oliveira-Filho
%J Health and Quality of Life Outcomes
%D 2011
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1477-7525-9-65
%X Consecutive stroke or congestive heart failure (CHF) patients were evaluated and compared to their caregivers (caregivers). The NIH Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and EuroQoL-5D (EQ-5D) scale were applied.We evaluated 67 patients with stroke, 62 with CHF and 67 caregivers. For stroke patients, median NIHSS score was four. EQ-5D score was significantly worse in stroke, as compared to CHF and caregivers (0.52, 0.69 and 0.65, respectively). Mobility and usual activity domains were significantly affected in stroke and CHF patients as compared to caregivers; and self-care was more affected in stroke as compared with the other two groups.Despite a mild neurological deficit, there was a significantly worse QOL perception in stroke as compared to CHF patients, mostly in their perception of self-care.Stroke is one of the leading causes of death worldwide [1]. Two-thirds of stroke cases occur in developing countries, where prevalence is increasing as the population ages [2]. In Brazil, where stroke is the main cause of death, limited access to specialized stroke care and poor knowledge of risk factors and warning signs expose the population to a significant burden of disease [3]. Stroke survivors also impose a significant burden to society and caregivers. Another disease with significant burden to society is congestive heart failure (CHF). In Brazil, cardiac diseases represent the second most frequent cause of death [4]. While most heart diseases have experienced decreased morbidity and mortality over the past decades, CHF has remained stable and costs 46 billion dollars each year in the United States alone [5]. However, quantification of the impact of these diseases on other aspects of health care and morbidity in developing countries is lacking, such as functional outcome, activities of daily living and quality of life (QOL).Several scales have been used to measure the impact of stroke and other diseases, most of which identify the perception of the health professional. Considerable
%U http://www.hqlo.com/content/9/1/65