Sood A, et al. – This analysis investigated the interaction and isolate the effects of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and obesity on incident heart failure (HF) risk assessment. The data reported that obesity and MetS exhibited a link with increased incident HF risk. Nevertheless, owing to the concomitant MetS and obesity, MetS served as a risk factor independent of obesity, evident by higher Health–ABC score (HABCS) and median NT–proBNP, but not vice–versa. Emphasis had to be placed on the diagnosis and management of MetS. In order to affirm these findings advanced research was necessitated.

Methods

• Analysis was performed of the medical records of patients, in the preventive cardiology clinic of a tertiary care hospital from 2006-14.
• The findings were appraised and extracted.
• Obesity and MetS were elucidated via BMI > 30 and National cholesterol education program (NCEP) ATP III criteria respectively.
• The exclusion criteria were patients with prior HF. Health-ABC score (HABCS) was estimated, which was a well validated incident HF risk prediction score, with higher score equating higher risk.
• Mean or median and percentage were reported for continuous and categorical variables respectively.
• HABCS was analyzed as an ordinal variable.
• Kruskall-Wallis test compared the HABCS and NT-proBNP among patient groups stratified based on body habitus and MetS.
• Dunn test the examined the differences among all possible two group combinations.
• P < .05 was regarded as vital.

Results

• From this cohort (n = 4,154, mean age 62 ± 12 years, males 42%, NT-proBNP median [IQR] = 315 [179-877] pg/mL), 2,463 (60%) patients had BMI and MetS score measured (mean age = 53.4 ± 13.3 years, males 40%, NT-proBNP median[IQR] = 66 [36-150] pg/mL).
• The MetS and obesity prevalence was 22% and 39% respectively.
• Median HABCS appeared to be higher for groups with obesity or MetS than those without.
• HABCS was higher in patients with concomitant obesity and MetS compared to obesity without MetS (P < .01).
• There was no variation in HABCS, among patients with MetS with and without obesity (P = .3).
• Median NT-proBNP was determined as highest in the group with concomitant obesity and MetS (median [IQR] = 79[40-213] (P < .01).