Prognostic value of body mass index and waist circumference in patients with chronic heart failure (Spanish REDINSCOR Registry).

Introduction And Objectives: To analyze the association between higher body mass index and waist circumference, and the prognostic values of both indicators in total and cardiac mortality in patients with chronic heart failure.

Methods: The study included 2254 patients who were followed up for 4 years. Obesity was classified as a body mass index ≥30 and overweight as a body mass index of 25.0-29.9. Central obesity was defined as waist circumference ≥88 cm for women and ≥102cm for men. Independent predictors of total and cardiac mortality were assessed in a multivariate Cox model adjusted for confounding variables.

Results: Obesity was present in 35% of patients, overweight in 43%, and central obesity in 60%. Body mass index and waist circumference were independent predictors of lower total mortality: hazard ratio=0.84 (P<.001) and hazard ratio=0.97 (P=.01), respectively, and lower cardiac death (body mass index, hazard ratio=0.84, P<.001; waist circumference, hazard ratio=0.97, P=.01). The interaction between body mass index and waist circumference (hazard ratio=1.001, P<.01) showed that the protective effect of body mass index was lost in patients with a waist circumference >120cm.

Conclusions: Mortality was significantly lower in patients with a high body mass index and waist circumference. The results also showed that this protection was lost when these indicators over a certain limit.