Heart Failure in Patients with Sarcopenia: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Background: The prevalence of sarcopenia and heart failure (HF) is estimated to be between 8%–34% and 3%–11.8%, respectively. The prevalence of HF in patients with sarcopenia and the prognosis of this association remain unclear. Methods: A systematic review was conducted across MEDLINE/PubMed, Embase, CENTRAL, SciELO, and CINAHL databases, with manual searches in Google Scholar and grey literature. Meta-analysis was performed on the gathered results to assess the prevalence of HF in patients with sarcopenia, estimate phenotypes related to left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), and evaluate the associated mortality risk. Results: Out of 7,080 studies, 16 were selected. In patients with sarcopenia, HF prevalence was 32% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.07–0.61, p<0.001, I²=100%). Patients with both conditions showed 45.9% (95% CI, 0.34–0.58; p<0.001, I²=90.69%) with reduced LVEF, 10.3% (95% CI, 0.00–0.29; p<0.001, I²=99%) with mildly reduced LVEF, and 29.1% (95% CI, 0.14–0.45; p<0.001, I²=99%) having preserved LVEF. Conclusion: HF is highly prevalent in patients with sarcopenia and increases mortality risk.