Sarcopenia in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: Impact on muscle strength, exercise capacity and quality of life.

Background: To describe the prevalence of sarcopenia in ambulatory patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and its relation to reduced exercise capacity, muscle strength, and quality of life (QoL).

Methods And Results: A total of 117 symptomatic outpatients with HFpEF were prospectively enrolled in Germany, England, and Slovenia as part of the Studies Investigating Co-morbidities Aggravating Heart Failure (SICA-HF). Appendicular skeletal muscle (ASM) mass (the sum of muscle mass in both arms and legs) was assessed by DEXA.