Abstract
BackgroundThis study aimed to determine whether midlife obesity predicts heart failure (HF) over an extended follow-up into old age.MethodsWe studied 7495 men (from a population sample of 9,998 men) without HF, who were 47–55 years old when investigated in 1970 to 1973. All participants were followed up for 35 years, or until death, using the Swedish National Inpatient Register (IPR) and the Cause of Death Register. Over follow-up, 1855 men (24.7%) were discharged from hospital or died with a diagnosis of HF.ResultsThere was a strong relation between obesity and future risk of HF, which was accentuated over the last years of the long follow-up. After adjusting for age, the risk of HF increased stepwise with increasing body mass index (BMI), even in those with a normal BMI (22.5–24.9) The subdistribution hazard ratio (SHR) was 1.20 (95% CI: 1.02–1.39) in men with a normal BMI, 1.29 (95% CI: 1.11–1.50) for a BMI of 25–27.49, 1.50 (95% CI: 1.27–1.77) for a BMI of 27.5–29.99, and 1.62 (95% CI: 1.33–1.97) for a BMI >30. After adjusting for, age, smoking, occupational class, and physical activity, the results were unchanged.ConclusionObesity in midlife is strongly related to the long-term risk of developing HF extending into old age where the risk is highest. Even normal body weight (BMI <25) was related to an increased risk of developing HF during life. Because overweight and obesity are largely preventable, our findings further emphasize the importance of public health interventions against the development of obesity.
Highlights
This study aimed to determine whether midlife obesity predicts heart failure (HF) over an extended follow-up into old age
Serum cholesterol, diabetes, systolic blood pressure (SBP), and hypertension increased with rising body mass index (BMI) (Table 1)
After further adjustment for total s-cholesterol, SBP, hypertension, and diabetes, which are strongly associated with body weight and may be regarded as mediators in the causal chain, there was no significant increase in risk in men with a BMI of 22.5–24.9 (SHR: 1.16; 95% confidence intervals (CIs): 0.99–1.36), while the risk was still increased among
Summary
This study aimed to determine whether midlife obesity predicts heart failure (HF) over an extended follow-up into old age. Overweight and obesity is an increasing problem worldwide. Since 1980, obesity has doubled worldwide with an even larger increase in some countries [1]. Even if the incidence of HF is decreasing [7,11,12], which is the case in Sweden, an increasingly larger proportion of elderly people in the population means that HF will be a rising problem. This increase could be accentuated by an increasing proportion of overweight and obese persons
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
