Frailty and Effects of Semaglutide in Obesity-Related HFpEF: Findings From the STEP-HFpEF Program

Frailty is common in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). In the STEP-HFpEF (Research Study to Investigate How Well Semaglutide Works in People Living With Heart Failure and Obesity) program, semaglutide improved heart failure (HF) symptoms and physical limitations and reduced body weight (BW) in participants with obesity-related HFpEF. Whether the efficacy and safety of semaglutide vary by frailty and the effects of semaglutide on frailty are unknown.

This study sought to evaluate the efficacy of semaglutide in participants with obesity-related HFpEF according to frailty status at baseline.

The authors performed a prespecified, pooled, participant-level analysis of the STEP-HFpEF program that included participants with obesity-related HFpEF. Participants were randomized to once-weekly semaglutide, 2.4 mg, or placebo for 52 weeks. Dual primary endpoints were changes in Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire-Clinical Summary Score (KCCQ-CSS) and BW. Frailty was estimated using a cumulative deficit-derived frailty index comprising 34 variables across multiple domains at baseline and follow-up. Efficacy and safety of semaglutide were evaluated in participants across 3 baseline frailty strata. Effects of semaglutide on frailty burden were also assessed.

Of the 1,145 participants, 110 (9.6%) were nonfrail, 343 (30.0%) were more frail, and 692 (60.4%) were most frail. Semaglutide-mediated weight loss was similar across frailty strata (P_interaction = 0.38). However, the effects of semaglutide on KCCQ-CSS varied by frailty status; participants who were most frail had the greatest improvement at 52 weeks (nonfrail mean difference: -1.5 [95% CI: -8.4 to 5.4]; more frail mean difference: 3.7 [95% CI: -0.2 to 7.6]; most frail mean difference: 11.0 [95% CI: 8.1-13.8]; P_interaction < 0.001). Semaglutide reduced the burden of frailty during follow-up (OR for being nonfrail at 52 weeks: 3.16 [95% CI: 2.44-4.09]; P < 0.0001).

Semaglutide resulted in a similar reduction in BW across frailty subgroups but greater improvements in HF-related symptoms. Moreover, semaglutide reduced frailty burden after 52 weeks of treatment. (Research Study to Investigate How Well Semaglutide Works in People Living With Heart Failure and Obesity [STEP-HFpEF]; NCT04788511) (Research Study to Look at How Well Semaglutide Works in People Living With Heart Failure, Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes [STEP-HFpEF DM]; NCT04916470).