| Subjects n | SF-36 PCS | AQ20 | LHFQ (total) | ||||
| Effect size | p-value# | Effect size | p-value# | Effect size | p-value# | ||
| WHO functional class | |||||||
| Improved | 33 | 0.31 | -0.36 | -0.50 | |||
| Same | 130 | Ref. | 0.09 | Ref. | 0.10 | Ref. | 0.01 |
| Worsened | 35 | -0.15 | 0.06 | 0.20 | |||
| 6MWD¶ | |||||||
| Improved | 30 | 0.31 | -0.34 | -0.39 | |||
| Same | 110 | Ref. | 0.03 | Ref. | 0.006 | Ref. | 0.002 |
| Worsened | 35 | -0.23 | 0.28 | 0.43 | |||
| BDI¶ | |||||||
| Improved | 35 | 0.39 | -0.60 | -0.49 | |||
| Same | 113 | Ref. | 0.002 | Ref. | 0.03 | Ref. | 0.03 |
| Worsened | 27 | -0.29 | 0.01 | 0.26 | |||
Data shown for 198 paired visits with complete data for all three QoL instruments. Change is defined as a change of ≥1 in functional class, >40 m in 6-minute walking distance (6MWD), and ≥2 points in Borg dyspnoea index (BDI). Change is shown as the standardised effect size based on generalised estimating equations to account for repeated measures data. Higher scores indicate better QoL for the 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and worse QoL for the Airways Questionnaire 20 (AQ20) and the Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (LHFQ). WHO: World Health Organization; ref: reference. #: based on F-test for trend; ¶: data missing for 23 paired visits.