Objective

o analyze the relationship of the Body Mass Index (BMI) with heart failure in a health area.

Method

Observational descriptive study of the 161 patients who had been diagnosed in the Health Area between January 2014 and December 2016.

Among other demographic, clinical and analytical data, the BMI was analyzed based on weight and height at the first visit to the unit, using the formula: weight (in kilograms) / square of height (in meters). Once obtained, the relationship between BMI and 2-year survival was evaluated. Four subgroups of patients were analyzed, based on their BMI, based on the criteria defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1999 (Technical Report Series, No. 854, Geneva: 1999): low weight (BMI < 20.5), normal weight (BMI of 20.5 to <25.5), overweight (BMI of 25.5 to <30) and obesity (BMI ≥ 30).

Statistical analysis was carried out using the statistical package SPSS® 24.0 for Windows. The association between BMI as a continuous variable and 2-year mortality.

Results

. Of the participants, 81 were obese (50.8%), being 33 men and 48 women. The average age of the obese is 80.32 +/- 9.23 years.

The main causes of heart failure in 62.2% had diagnosed some type of heart disease, being: 29.2% Ischemic heart disease, 46.6% cardiac arrhythmias and 20.5% valvulopathies.

BMI as a continuous variable was significantly associated with mortality (p <0.001), age (0.002), ischemic disease (0.001), gender (0.004), hypertension (0.002), diabetes (0.003) and dyslipidemia (0.004). ). The relation of BMI with the use of Digoxin, Asa Diuretics and Spironolactone treatments has also been seen with higher BMI plus utilization. BMI is also associated with the number of admissions, greater number of concomitant chronic diseases and mortality.

The scores obtained in the MLWHFQ quality of life questionnaire at the initial visit; the patients with low weight were those who obtained the highest score, which corresponds to a worse quality of life. There were no significant differences between the scores obtained by patients of normal weight, overweight and obese, although these showed a tendency to obtain a higher score.

Conclusions

BMI has been shown to be associated with mortality, ischemic disease, sex, hypertension, diabetes and dyslipidemia in patients with heart failure.

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