My Healthy Heart Blogs
Extra Pounds Mean Extra Threat in Heart Disease
09/11/07
Information for Caregivers, Living Well, Prevention, Research, General
Noticeable weight gain over a short period of time can indicate future hospitalization for heart failure, according to an article published in Circulation, the journal of the American Heart Association.
When comparing a group of 134 heart failure patients who had been hospitalized to a group of the same size that had not been hospitalized (the control group), researchers found that about 30 days before hospitalization, changes in weight gain were statistically significant. While the control group maintained its weight, the other group gradually gained weight throughout the 30 days leading up to hospitalization. That weight gain was most dramatic the week before going to the hospital.
Researchers found that patients who gained between 2 and 5 pounds had a 2.34 adjusted odds ratio (probability) of hospitalization. As weight gain increased, so did the odds of being hospitalized. A 5 to 10 pound gain meant a 3.69 adjusted odds ratio and a gain of more than 10 pounds resulted in a 4.98 adjusted odds ratio.
"Daily information about patients' body weight identifies a high-risk period during which interventions to avert decompensated heart failure that necessitates hospitalization may be beneficial," researchers wrote.
Sources:
Journal Watch Cardiology
Circulation
