Table 1: Characteristics of Studies Exploring the Effects of Glucagon-like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists on Quality of Life in Heart Failure.
| Study, no. Participants | Drug, Follow-up Period | HF Characteristics | Proportion of Patients with T2D/Baseline BMI | QoL Instrument | Baseline QoL Levels | Changes Compared with Placebo [95% CI]; p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lepore et al, 2016[40] n=62 | Albiglutide, 12 weeks | HFrEF on stable GDMT, NYHA II–III (proportions not reported), mean ( ± SD) EF 31 ± 1.6% | Without T2D/mean ± SD BMI 31 ± 7 kg/m2 | MLHFQ | 31 ± 4 | 2.5 ± 4.8*, p=0.61 |
| FIGHT, 2016[41] n=300 | Liraglutide, 180 days | Recently (within 14 days) hospitalised HFrEF, NYHA II–IV (III, 63%; IV, 5%), median EF 25% (IQR 20–33%) | T2D 59%/median BMI 31 kg/m2 (IQR 26–36 kg/m2) | KCCQ-CSS | 46 (32–65) | 1.3 [-4.0, 6.5]†; p=0.64 |
| KCCQ-OSS | 43 (30–61) | 0.6 [-4.5, 5.8]; p=0.81 | ||||
| LIFE, 2017[43] n=241 | Liraglutide, 24 weeks | HF with EF ≤45% on stable GDMT, NYHA I–III (II, 54%; III, 14%), mean ± SD EF 33.7 ± 7.6% | T2D 32%/median BMI 28.0 kg/m2 (IQR 3.8 kg/m2) | MLHFQ | Not reported | -1.6 [-5.3, 2.0]*, p=0.39 |
| StepHFpEF, 2023[45] n=529 | Semaglutide, 52 weeks | HF with EF ≥45% and BMI ≥30 kg/m2, baseline KCCQ-CSS <90 points, NYHA II–IV (III or IV, 33.8%), median EF 57% | Without T2D/median BMI 37.0 kg/m2 (IQR 33.7–41.4 kg/m2) | KCCQ-CSS | 58.9 (41.7–72.9) | 7.8 [4.8–10.9]‡; p<0.001 |
| KCCQ-OSS | Not available | 7.5 [4.4–10.6]‡; p<0.001 | ||||
| STEP HFpEF DM, 2024[13] n=617 | Semaglutide, 52 weeks | HF with EF ≥45% and BMI ≥30 kg/m2, baseline KCCQ-CSS <90 points, NYHA II–IV (III or IV, 29.3%), median EF 56% | Only with T2D (100%)/median BMI 36.9 kg/m2 (IQR 33.6–41.4 kg/m2) | KCCQ-CSS | 59.4 (43.8–72.0) | 7.3 [4.1–10.4]‡; p<0.001 |
| KCCQ-OSS | Not available | 7.3 [4.2–10.4]‡; p<0.001 |
Baseline levels of QoL are presented as mean ± standard deviation or median (IQR); mean values of quantitative variables are presented for the active arm if data for the total cohort were not published. *delta estimates; †between-group difference, adjusted for baseline value; ‡ estimated between-group difference. EF = ejection fraction; GDMT = guideline-directed medical therapy; HF = heart failure; KCCQ-CSS = Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire Clinical Summary Scores; KCCQ-OSS = Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire Overall Summary Scores; MLHFQ = Minnesota Living With Heart Failure Questionnaire; NYHA = New York Heart Association; QoL = quality of life; T2D = type 2 diabetes.