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Body mass indices and outcome in patients with chronic heart failure

James E Futter1, John G F Cleland, Andrew L Clark

  • 1Hull York Medical School, UK.

European Journal of Heart Failure
|December 9, 2010
PubMed

Insights

In chronic heart failure patients, larger body size predicts lower mortality risk. Body surface area (BSA) is the strongest predictor, indicating greater body bulk improves survival.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Clinical Nutrition
  • Biostatistics

Background:

  • Chronic heart failure (CHF) is associated with complex relationships between body composition and patient outcomes.
  • An inverse relationship exists between body mass and mortality in CHF populations.
  • The optimal anthropometric measure for predicting mortality in CHF remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between various body size measures and mortality in patients with chronic heart failure.
  • To determine which measure of body size, including body surface area (BSA), is the strongest predictor of mortality in this population.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 2271 patients with chronic heart failure due to left ventricular systolic dysfunction was followed for mortality.
  • Measures including body mass index (BMI), ponderal index (PI), and body surface area (BSA) were assessed.
  • Multivariable analysis was used to identify the strongest predictor of outcome among 14 variables.

Main Results:

  • Body size measures were strong univariable predictors of mortality; BSA was the strongest (χ² = 71.3).
  • Higher body size, particularly BSA, was associated with a lower risk of mortality.
  • In multivariable analysis, BSA remained the single strongest predictor of outcome.

Conclusions:

  • Body size measures are significantly related to outcomes in patients with chronic heart failure.
  • Body surface area (BSA) is a more potent predictor of mortality than other body habitus measures.
  • Increased overall body bulk is linked to improved survival in chronic heart failure patients.
Abstract

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