Weight in Adolescence Linked to Heart Failure Risk Later in Life
Having a body mass index (BMI) between 20 and 22.5 kg/m2 in adolescence was associated with increased risk of heart failure later in life, with the risk rising steeply with every increase in BMI, according to recent research.
"Although most studies define a normal weight as having a BMI between 18.5 and 25, this is probably not an appropriate definition in the young, most of whom are naturally thin,” the researchers noted.
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In order to examine the relationship between BMI in young men and risk of early hospitalization with heart failure, the researchers conducted a prospective cohort study of 1,610,437 men in Sweden, mean age 18.6 years, followed up for 5-42 years from 1968 to 2005. During the study period, 5492 first hospitalizations for heart failure occurred.
Compared with men with a BMI of 18.5-20, men with a BMI of 20-22.5 had a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.22, after adjustment for age, comorbidities at baseline, blood pressure, muscle strength, fitness, and other relevant factors.
The risk rose incrementally with each increasing point of BMI, with men who had a BMI of 30-35 having an HR of 6.47 and those with a BMI of 35 or more having an HR of 9.21.
The multiple-adjusted risk of heart failure per 1-point increase in BMI ranged from 1.06 for heart failure associated with valvular disease to 1.20 for coronary heart disease, diabetes, or hypertension.
“We found a steeply rising risk of early heart failure detectable already at a normal body weight, increasing nearly 10-fold in the highest weight category. Given the current obesity epidemic, heart failure in the young may increase substantially in the future and physicians need to be aware of this,” the study authors wrote.
—Michael Potts
Reference:
Rosengren A, Åberg M, Robertson J, et al. Body weight in adolescence and long-term risk of early heart failure in adulthood among men in Sweden [published online June 16, 2016]. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehw221.