Relation of body mass index to mortality after development of heart failure due to acute coronary syndrome.

Several studies have suggested that obesity may be associated with a survival advantage in heart failure (HF). The duration of HF likely influences disease severity and may introduce lead-time bias into analyses of outcomes. The aim of this study was to analyze a cohort in which the exact time of HF onset could be determined: patients in the University of Michigan subset of the acute coronary syndromes (ACS) database of the Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) who developed new-onset HF (no history of HF and left ventricular ejection fraction or=30 kg/m(2)). Underweight patients (BMI