Introduction:

To analyze the relationship of the Body Mass Index (BMI) with heart failure in a Health Area.

Material and Methods:

Observational descriptive study of the 161 patients who had been diagnosed in the Health Area between January 2014 and December 2016. Demographic, clinical, and analytical data have been analyzed. The BMI is calculated from the weight and height on the first visit to the consultation, using the formula: weight (in kilograms) / square of height (in meters). Once obtained, the relationship between BMI and evolution in 2 years was evaluated. Four subgroups of patients are studied, based on their BMI, based on the criteria defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1999: low weight (BMI<20.5), normal weight (BMI 20.5 to <25.5), overweight (BMI 25.5 to <30) and obesity (BMI≥30).

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. Obese patients scored higher on the MLWHFQ quality of life questionnaire, which corresponds to a poorer quality of life.

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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