Geriatric nutritional risk index predicts functional dependency and mortality in patients with heart failure with...

The clinical significance of nutritional risk assessment in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) remains undefined. Geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) is a simple nutritional assessment tool for elderly subjects. Its predictive value was evaluated in patients with HFpEF, a common HF phenotype in the elderly population.

The present study enrolled 152 consecutive patients (mean age, 77 ± 11 years; male, 53.9%) who were hospitalized with HFpEF at the authors' institution. GNRI on admission was calculated as follows: 14.89 × serum albumin (g/dl)+41.7×body mass index/22. Characteristics and mortality (median follow-up of 2.1 years) were compared between 2 groups: low GNRI (<92) with moderate or severe nutritional risk; and high GNRI (≥ 92) with no or low nutritional risk. Patients in the low-GNRI group were more often female, and had lower serum hemoglobin and sodium, but higher serum blood urea nitrogen (BUN), C-reactive protein, and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) compared to those in the high-GNRI group (P<0.05, respectively). Physical activity at discharge measured by Barthel index was significantly lower in the low-GNRI group than the high-GNRI group (P<0.05). On Cox hazard analysis, lower GNRI predicted increased mortality independent of age, gender, prior HF hospitalization, and higher BUN and BNP (P<0.01).

GNRI may be useful for predicting functional dependency and mortality in patients with HFpEF.