Relationship between cachexia and short physical performance battery scores in patients with heart failure attending comprehensive outpatient cardiac rehabilitation

This study included 115 consecutive patients with HF (43% male; mean age, 78  ± 8 years) who underwent comprehensive outpatient CR. The cachexia status was assessed according to the definition proposed by the Asian Working Group on Cachexia in 2023. The Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) and Mini Nutritional Assessment Short-Form (MNA-SF) were used to evaluate m otor function of the lower limbs and nutritional status, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to examine the potential relationship between cachexia and low SPPB scores (≤ 9 points). The prevalence of cachexia was 30% in this study. Compared with those without cachex ia, patients with cachexia were significantly older and showed notable reductions in body mass index, MNA-SF scores, handgrip strength, gait speed, and SPPB scores. A multivariate logistic regression analysis, adjusted for confounders, revealed that both age (odds ratio [OR], 1.129; 95% confidence i nterval [CI], 1.034–1.248;P = 0.016) and presence of cachexia (OR, 3.783; 95% CI, 1.213–11.796;P = 0.022) were independently associated with low SPPB scores. These findings highlight the importance of focusing on cachexia in patients with HF as part of a comprehensive outpatient CR and may be crucial in developing treatments to improve lower limb motor function in patients with HF who deve lops cachexia.
Source: Heart and Vessels - Category: Cardiology Source Type: research