Abstract EP26: Impacts Of Social Isolation During The COVID-19 Pandemic On Congestive Heart Failure Disease Management

Abstract

Background: We investigated the impact of social isolation associated with the COVID-19 pandemic on the severity and frequency of congestive heart failure (CHF) symptoms and the frequency of hospital admissions. Hypothesis: We assessed the hypothesis that the psychosocial impacts of loneliness, as manifested during the COVID19 pandemic, caused potentially worsened congestive heart failure (CHF) symptom frequency and severity as well as the frequency of hospitalizations. Material and methods: This was a single tertiary center cohort study of inpatients admitted with a primary diagnosis of congestive heart failure. Each patient was asked to rate the extent of isolation related to the pandemic and the extent of changes in the severity and frequency of symptoms on a numeric scale during an in-person interview. The number of admission due to CHF since the start of the pandemic and in the two years before the start of the pandemic was also compared. Results: The study cohort included 40 patients, 52.5% females, 69.7+/-13.3 years old. Of these patients, 47.5% reported near-complete pandemic-related isolation and an additional 32.5% reported mild isolation. Symptom worsening was reported in 55% of all patients, which was more common in socially isolated patients (73.7%), while patients who maintained social contacts more commonly reported no change or improvement in symptoms (61.9%, p=0.024). There was also a strong trend in increased symptom frequency associated with social isolation (63.2% in isolated patients vs. 33.3% in the rest of the cohort, p=0.059). The pandemic period was also associated with a significant overall reduction in CHF-related hospital admissions, from 1.9+/-1.3 to 0.7+/-1.4 times (p=0.001), but no significant differences according to the social isolation status. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a significant symptom increase in patients who reported social isolation. At the same time and despite this symptom increase, a significant reduction in CHF-related hospital admissions suggests reluctance of patients to be treated in the hospital environment. The effects of interventions aimed at reducing social isolation should be investigated.