P4540Obesity in patients with heart failure and without diabetes mellitus is associated with longer event-free survival only among those with high dietary sodium intake

Abstract

Abstract Background Obesity is paradoxically associated with better short- and long-term outcomes in patients with heart failure (HF) and without diabetes mellitus (DM). While excessive dietary sodium intake is common among obese persons, its impact on the association between obesity and outcomes has not been considered. Aim To determine whether dietary sodium intake levels would affect the association between obesity and better outcomes in patients with HF and without DM. Method A sample of 129 patients (age 60±12.4 years; 30% female) provided a single 24-hour urine collection sample to estimate dietary sodium intake. Patients were divided into 4 groups based on body mass index (BMI) and the sodium intake recommendation for HF of 3g/day (obese with high sodium intake [n=41; 32%], obese with low sodium intake [n=16; 12%], non-obese with high sodium intake [n=35; 27%], and non-obese with low sodium intake [n=37; 29%]). Patients were followed-up during an average period of 395 days to determine time to first event of all-cause hospitalization or death. Cox regression was used to determine the association between obesity and outcomes in the context of sodium intake after controlling for age, gender, NYHA class (I II vs. III IV) and LVEF. Results There were 41 patients (31.8%) who had an event of all-cause hospitalization or death. Obese patients with high sodium intake had 61% lower risk for events than those non-obese with low dietary sodium intake (figure). There were no differences in the event-free survival among other groups. Conclusion These data suggest that dietary sodium intake may be particularly important for obese patients with HF and without DM.