title: Visceral adiposity index and prognosis among patients with ischemic heart failure.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The obesity paradox has already been established in relation to heart failure, but it is not known which obesity indicator best reflects this phenomenon. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between obesity indexes and mortality among patients with heart failure.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cohort study conducted in the Department of Cardiology of Hospital Nossa Senhora da Conceição (Brazil).
  
  
  METHODS
  Clinical, demographic, socioeconomic, biochemical and anthropometric data on 116 patients aged 30 to 85 years with a diagnosis of heart failure were evaluated. Arm fat area, body mass index, body surface area, body adiposity index, lipid accumulation product (LAP) and visceral adiposity index (VAI) were calculated. Cox regression was used to perform survival analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At baseline, the individuals with ischemic heart failure who remained alive showed higher VAI (3.60 ± 3.71 versus 1.48 ± 1.58; P = 0.04) and a trend towards higher LAP, in comparison with the individuals who died. After an average follow-up of 14.3 months, ischemic heart failure patients who had VAI > 1.21 showed 78% lower risk of death (HR 0.12; 95% CI: 0.02-0.67; P = 0.02) and the Kaplan-Meier survival curves showed better prognosis for these individuals (P = 0.005; log-rank test).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that VAI is a good predictor of better prognosis among ischemic heart failure patients.
authors.affiliation: BSc. Specialist in Clinical Nutrition, Institute of Education and Research, Hospital Moinhos de Vento (IEP/HMV), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Patrícia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vogel
authors.affiliation: PhD. Professor, Department of Public Health, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil, Professor, Institute of Health Technology Assessment, Hospital Nossa Senhora da Conceição, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Airton
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stein
authors.affiliation: PhD. Professor, Postgraduate Cardiology Program, Institute of Cardiology, Fundação Universitária de Cardiologia (IC/FUC), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil, Professor, Department of Nutrition, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Aline
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marcadenti
mesh_terms: D050154:Adiposity; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000886:Anthropometry / Q000379:methods; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality*; D006801:Humans; D064237:Lipid Accumulation Product; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D056128:Obesity, Abdominal / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011379:Prognosis; D055105:Waist Circumference