Fatigue in Persons With Heart Failure : A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Synthesis Using the Biopsychosocial Model of Health

Background: Fatigue is a common and distressing symptom of heart failure (HF) and has important implications for patient-reported and clinical outcomes. Despite being a common and bothersome symptom, fatigue has been understudied in HF. We sought to synthesize existing literature on fatigue in HF through a systematic literature review guided by the biopsychosocial model of health.

Methods and Results: A systematic search of the literature was performed on March 18, 2020, using Pubmed, Embase, and CINAHL. Full-text, primary research articles, written in English, in which fatigue was a primary symptom of interest in adults with a diagnosis of HF, were included. The search yielded 1138 articles; 33 articles that met inclusion criteria were selected for extraction and synthesis. Biological and psychological factors associated with fatigue were New York Heart Association functional class, hemoglobin level, history of stroke, and depression. However, there are limited HF-specific factors linked to fatigue. Social factors related to fatigue included social roles, relationship strain, and loneliness and isolation. Few nonpharmacologic interventions have been tested by show some promise for alleviating fatigue in HF. Studies show conflicting evidence related to the prognostic implications of fatigue.

Conclusions: Important biological correlates of fatigue were identified; however, psychological and social variables were limited to qualitative description. There is need for expanded models to better understand the complex physiologic nature of fatigue in HF. Additionally, more research is needed to (1) define the relationships between fatigue and both psychological and social factors, (2) better describe the prognostic implications of fatigue, and (3) develop more therapeutic approaches to alleviate fatigue with the goal of improving overall quality of life.

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