Author(s)

Félicité Kamdem^1,2*, Chris Nadège Nganou-Gnindjio³, Dieudonné Danwe³, Franc Christ-Roi Soemessabot¹, Elysée Claude Bika Léle⁴, Ba Hamadou³, Sidick Mouliom^1,2, Lade Viché^1,5, Henri Ngoté¹, Caroline Kenmegne¹, Marie Solange Ndom Ebongue², Siddikatou Djibrilla⁶, William Ngatchou^1,3

¹Department of Internal Medicine, Douala General Hospital, Douala, Cameroon.
²Faculty of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Douala, Douala, Cameroon.
³Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
⁴Faculty of Sciences, University of Douala, Douala, Cameroon.
⁵Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Garoua, Garoua, Cameroon.
⁶Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Buea, Cameroon.

Background: Chronic heart failure is a public health problem worldwide. It has a high mortality rate and is accompanied by a decreased functional capacity and alteration of the quality of life. Objective: This study aimed to assess the cardiovascular functional capacity of a group of patients suffering from heart failure using the 6-minute walk test (6 MWT). Methods: This was a cross-sectional study carried out in the cardiology unit of Douala’s general hospital for 4 months. We included all eligible patients aged 18 years or more who had stable chronic heart failure and gave informed consent. Those who had an acute coronary syndrome (≤1 month), tachycardia (HR ≥ 120 bpm), high blood pressure (SBP ≥ 180 mmHg and/or DBP ≥ 100 mmHg) and reduced mobility due to orthopaedic reasons were excluded. A 6 MWT was done according to the American Thoracic Society guidelines. The 6 MWT result was considered poor for < 300 m distance, the average for 300 - 450 m and good for >450 m. Results: We recruited a total of 81 patients (61.7% women) with a mean age of 65.9 ± 10.6 years. The most frequent risk factor for heart failure was high blood pressure (77.8%), alcohol consumption(69.1%) and a sedentary lifestyle (53.1%). The left ventricular ejection fraction was mostly preserved (42.0%) or mildly altered (46.9). The 6 MWT results were poor in 55.6% of cases, average in 19.8% of cases and good in only 24.7% of cases. More than half (59.3%) of the participants perceived the effort as being difficult. The cardiovascular functional capacity was significantly associated with age, heart failure stage and physical activity (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Most patients suffering from chronic stable heart failure in the general hospital of Douala have poor cardiovascular functional capacity.

Cardiovascular Functional Capacity, Chronic Heart Failure, 6-Minute Walk Test, Cameroon

Kamdem, F. , Nganou-Gnindjio, C. , Danwe, D. , Soemessabot, F. , Léle, E. , Hamadou, B. , Mouliom, S. , Viché, L. , Ngoté, H. , Kenmegne, C. , Ebongue, M. , Djibrilla, S. and Ngatchou, W. (2023) An Assessment of Cardiovascular Functional Capacity of a Group of Chronic Heart Failure Patients Using the 6-Minute Walk Test in a Cameroonian Urban Setting. World Journal of Cardiovascular Diseases, 13, 275-282. doi: 10.4236/wjcd.2023.136024.