Obesity in Middle Age Increases Risk of Later Heart Failure in Women—Results From the Prospective Population Study of Women and H70 Studies in Gothenburg, Sweden

Abstract

ObjectiveObesity has been shown to be a risk factor for heart failure (HF), but whether the association varies by age is not understood. The aim was to examine the impact of obesity/overweight on the risk of developing heart failure in women of different ages by analysing prospective data from 2 population studies. MethodsData were obtained from the Population Study of Women in Gothenburg and the Gerontologic and Geriatric Population Studies concerning body mass index (BMI) collected in 1980 or later. Follow-up ended in 2006. Cox proportional hazard methods were used to determine associations between developing HF and BMI in 2574 women, 1243 aged 26–65 years and 1331 aged 66–76 years, at baseline. ResultsWomen aged 26–65 years at baseline with BMI ≥30 kg/m2 had an increased risk of developing HF (hazard ratio [HR] 2.61, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.56–4.35) even when controlling for age, glucose, smoking, alcohol consumption, serum triglycerides, and systolic blood pressure (reference group: women with BMI 18.5–22.4 kg/m2). Obese women aged 66–76 years at baseline did not show increased risk of developing HF (HR 0.55, 95% CI 0.23–1.29). ConclusionsObesity in middle-age women increases their risk of developing HF later in life. In contrast, obesity later in life shows no association with HF.