Predicting mortality risks in patients with heart failure using body mass index and weight loss at admission.

Abstract

The association of the combination of body mass index (BMI) and weight change at admission with prognoses in patients with heart failure (HF) is unclear. Therefore, we investigated whether body mass index (BMI) and weight changes at admission affect mortality in patients with HF. This retrospective cohort study lasted 99 months, starting in April 2014, and included 4,862 patients with HF from a Japanese real-world database. Cubic and thin-plate smoothing spline analyses were performed to investigate the association of BMI and weight changes with mortality. The percentage weight change was calculated every 6 months. The study outcome was the presence or absence of death. The patients' mean age was 81.5±9.6 years, and 1,239 (25.5%) patients died. Cubic spline analysis revealed a negative correlation of BMI with mortality hazard ratio (HR) (BMI=18.5 kg/m2 and 25 kg/m2; HR=1.3 [1.2-1.4] and 0.8 [0.7-0.9], respectively). Cubic spline analysis of weight change showed that weight loss tended to increase the mortality HR (weight change rate=-6%, HR=1.1 [1.0-1.2]). Thin-plate smoothing spline analysis showed that the odds ratio (OR) negatively correlated with BMI (1-year mortality: BMI=18.5 kg/m2, 22 kg/m2, and 25 kg/m2; OR at 0% weight change=1.5, 1.0, and 0.7, respectively; 2-year mortality: BMI=18.5 kg/m2, 22 kg/m2, and 25 kg/m2; OR at 0% weight change=1.4, 0.9, and 0.7, respectively). A low BMI in patients with HF was associated with a higher risk of mortality. Weight loss in patients, regardless of BMI, was associated with a higher OR for mortality.