[Body mass index and prognosis in patients with systolic heart failure].
OBJECTIVE
In individuals without cardiovascular disease, elevated body mass index (BMI) is associated with an increased risk of death. However, in patients with certain chronic diseases, including heart failure, low BMI has been associated with increased mortality. We investigated the association between BMI and prognosis in patients with systolic HF.


METHODS
Follow-up was made on 540 patients (mean age 58.53 years, 84.2% men) with systolic HF (LVEF < or = 45%) and association between BMI and adverse cardiac events was analyzed.


RESULTS
During a median follow-up of 24 months, 92 patients died including 87 cases of cardiac death and 92 patients were rehospitalized. Compared with patients with BMI higher than 28.0 kg/m(2), patients in lower BMI categories (BMI < or = 18.5 kg/m(2) and > or = 18.5 kg/m(2) < 24.0 kg/m(2)) had a graded increase in the all cause death rate [5.44 (1.78 - 16.66), 4.30 (1.71 - 10.82)], cardiac death rate [OR(95%CI): 5.42 (1.77 - 16.59), 4.00 (1.59 - 10.10)], HF death rate [8.94 (2.37 - 33.74), 4.97 (1.52 - 16.20)] and MACE rate [2.10 (1.09 - 4.07), 1.79 (1.14 - 2.82)]. After adjustment for age, gender, LVEF and NYHA grade using cox regression analysis, BMI categories still significantly associated with all cause death rate (OR = 0.77, P < 0.05), cardiac death rate (OR = 0.78, P < 0.05) and HF death rate (OR = 0.79, P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
In patients with systolic heart failure, lower BMI was an independent predictor of increased all cause death rate, cardiac death rate and HF death rate.
Department of Cardiology, Heart Failure Care Unit, Fu Wai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100037, China.
Yi-hong
YH
Hua
Na-qiong
NQ
Wu
Xiang-feng
XF
Lu
Gao-qiang
GQ
Xie
Jian
J
Zhang
Dong-feng
DF
Gu
Yue-jin
YJ
Yang
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002423:Cause of Death; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D054143:Heart Failure, Systolic / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis