This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.

HF risk found in patients with metabolic syndrome

Voulgari C. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2011;58:1343-1350.

Add topic to email alerts

Receive an email when new articles are posted on

Please provide your email address to receive an email when new articles are posted on .

Subscribe

Added to email alerts

You've successfully added to your alerts. You will receive an email when new content is published.

Click Here to Manage Email Alerts

You've successfully added to your alerts. You will receive an email when new content is published.

Click Here to Manage Email Alerts

Back to Healio

We were unable to process your request. Please try again later. If you continue to have this issue please contact customerservice@slackinc.com.

Back to Healio

Normal-weight patients with metabolic syndrome appear to have a higher risk for heart failure vs. obese patients without metabolic syndrome, according to a recent study results.

In a prospective, community-based study that took place between 2003 and 2005, 550 participants were classified into groups based on presence (n=271) or absence (n=279) of metabolic syndrome and by BMI. Participants included did not have diabetes or macrovascular disease. Researchers assessed left ventricular functional capacity, myocardial structure and performance echocardiographically. Smoking and medication use information was obtained by researchers through standardized questionnaires. There was a median follow-up time of 6 years.

Participants who were normal weight (HR=2.33; 95% CI, 1.25-4.36) with metabolic syndrome had a higher HF risk than overweight (HR=1.12; 95% CI, 0.35-0.33) and obese (HR=0.41; 95% CI, 0.10-1.31) participants who did not, according to the study. Researchers found a consistent pattern between BMI, metabolic syndrome and HF incidence during the 6-year follow-up, in which participants without metabolic syndrome had HF incidence of 15.6% with a normal BMI, 14.2% in those overweight and 9.3% in those obese vs. 63.2% with a normal BMI, 47.7% in those overweight and 54.2% in those obese with metabolic syndrome.

HF developed in 185 participants during follow-up, and in these participants LV hypertrophy (P=.001) and diastolic dysfunction with preserved LV ejection fraction (P,.001) were higher in BMI groups with metabolic syndrome vs. without. Overall, impaired fasting glucose (HR=1.09; 95% CI, 1.06-1.10), high BP (HR=2.36; 95% CI, 1.03-5.43), low HDL (HR=1.88; 95% CI, 1.29 to -2.77) and central obesity (HR=2.22; 95% CI, 1.02-1.05) were associated with increased HF risk in participants with metabolic syndrome.

"Metabolic syndrome is considered a risk factor for the development of left ventricular hypertrophy, left ventricular dilation, myocardial dysfunction and clinical HF," Eileen Hsich, MD, of the Kaufman Center for Heart Failure, Heart and Vascular Institute, at the Cleveland Clinic, wrote in an accompanying editorial. "Given the fact that the components of metabolic syndrome are known risk factors for HF, it is not surprising that metabolic syndrome is a stronger predictor of HF than simply one variable such as the presence of obesity."

Disclosure: Dr. Hsich reports no relevant financial disclosures.

Follow EndocrineToday.com on Twitter.