Introduction
depression, Heart failure, Anxiety, HF
HEART FAILURE, DISEASE, DISORDERS
Heart failure (HF) is an important public health problem that affects 26 million people worldwide, with a projection for an increase in prevalence with population aging and prolonged survival.Studies point out a high prevalence of emotional disorders in patients with HF, which contributes to worsening morbidity, quality of life, and mortality.Patients with HF live with increased psychosocial and existential stress, explained by the progressive and limiting disease, which changes work status and socialization and impacts their quality of life.A prospective cohort evaluated 6985 individuals and showed that a low sense of purpose is significantly associated with all-cause mortality. It shows the need for research that assesses interventions that promote a meaningful life to improve health outcomes.Several scientific evidence regarding brain-heart interactions have led to the growth of the research field in behavioral cardiology.HF is characterized by a chronic inflammatory state and ANS imbalance, contributing to its progression.It has been shown that, through emotions and thoughts, the ANS plays a relevant role in the brain-heart connection.Mindfulness is the ability to pay attention to the present moment intentionally and without judgment.Few studies have been developed evaluating the impact of interventions based on Mindfulness in patients with HF. Therefore, it is discussed the need to carry out more studies with methodological rigor and assess the impact of these interventions on the perceived stress, functional capacity, and the levels of mindfulness of these individuals.Consequently, the present study aimed primarily to evaluate the impact of the Stress Reduction, Meditation, and Mindfulness Program on HF patients’ perceived stress in specialized centers. Anxiety, depression, mindfulness, quality of life, quality of sleep, functional capacity (6-minute walk test), an inflammatory panel including erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and c-reactive protein (CRP), and neurohormonal panel (cortisol and NT-proBNP) were evaluated secondarily.