Malnutrition in heart failure. The importance of assessing for congestion and sarcopenia.

AIM: This work aims to describe nutrition and sarcopenia in inpatients with heart failure (HF). It also aims to assess factors associated with in-hospital and short-term prognosis related to nutrition and sarcopenia.

METHODS

We collected data on consecutive HF patients admitted to a single center's internal medicine ward. Patients were recruited in May and October 2021. Malnutrition was determined by the Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form (MNA-SF) and sarcopenia by the screening test, SARC-F scale, and handgrip strength test.

RESULTS

190 patients were analyzed, mean age 82.1 (±8.2), 54.2% women, median follow up 106 days. Patients were classified into three groups based on MNA-SF score: group 1 (12-14 points, no risk) included 50 patients, group 2 (8-12 points, high risk of malnutrition) included 81 patients, group 3 (0-7 points, malnourished) included 59 patients. Group 3 had significantly more inflammation (lower albumin and higher C-reactive Protein (CRP)) and congestion (measured by NT-ProBNP levels). In-hospital mortality was related to poor muscle function, CRP, and NT-ProBNP, but not to malnutrition. The poorest short-term outcomes were related to malnutrition and comorbidity. However, when the variable of muscle function was introduced, it could act as a poor prognostic factor related to CRP and NT-ProBNP, which were the main determinants of survival.

CONCLUSION

In malnourished patients with HF, inflammation and congestion were related to in-hospital mortality. Malnutrition along with comorbidity may play a role in decreasing short-term survival. Early identification through proactive nutritional and functional screenings should be a key element of assessing HF patients.