ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the association between body mass index (BMI) and exercise capacity in patients with chronic systolic heart failure.Methods The elderly patients with chronic systolic heart failure were consecutively recruited from 2008 to 2011 in cardiovascular clinic of Zhejiang Hospital.All the participants underwent height and weight measurements and BMI was calculated with these two parameters.Cardiopulmonary exercise test were performed to achieve peak oxygen uptake (PVO2),oxygen uptake to body mass ratio (PKVO2),oxygen uptake to heart ratio (VO2/HR) and ventilation/carbon dioxide production (VO2/VCO2).Results A total of the 273 patients with chronic systolic heart failure included 6 underweight patients (BMI ＜ 18.5 kg/m2),113 normal weight patients (BMI 18.5-＜ 24.0 kg/m2),116 overweight patients (BMI 24.0-＜ 28.0 kg/m2),and 38 obese patients (BMI ≥ 28 kg/m2).In both NYHA Ⅱ and Ⅲ/Ⅳ patients,unadjusted correlation analyses showed that BMI was positively related to PVO2 and VO2/HR,and was inversely related to PKVO2 and VE/VCO2 (P ＜ 0.05),respectively.Multiple stepwise regression analyses showed age,sex,BMI (P ＜ 0.05) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) were independent determinants of PKVO2,and age and BMI (P ＜ 0.05) were independent determinants of VE/VCO2.Conclusions BMI is significantly associated with exercise capacity in patients with chronic systolic heart failure,and also independent determinant for the PKVO2 and VE/VCO2,respectively.