Association between heart failure in asymptomatic stages and skeletal muscle function assessed by ultrasonography in community-dwelling older adults

• Published in: BMC geriatrics 2024-10, Vol.24 (1), p.871-7, Article 871
• Main Authors: Sato, Toshimi, Kimura, Yosuke, Kakehi, Tomohiro, Suzuki, Mizue, Kondo, Ikue, Abe, Yuki, Suzuki, Daisuke, Sato, Wataru, Imagawa, Norie, Itagaki, Atsunori
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Activities of daily living; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aging; Analysis; Analysis of covariance; Asymptomatic; Asymptomatic Diseases; Body mass index; Cardiac muscle; Cardiovascular disease; Care and treatment; Community-dwelling older adults; Complications and side effects; Congestive heart failure; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diagnosis; Echo intensity; Female; Frailty; Health aspects; Heart failure; Heart Failure - diagnostic imaging; Heart Failure - epidemiology; Heart Failure - physiopathology; Humans; Independent Living; Male; Middle Aged; Multivariate analysis; Muscle function; Muscle, Skeletal - diagnostic imaging; Muscle, Skeletal - physiopathology; Muscles; Musculoskeletal system; Older people; Prognosis; Questionnaires; Risk factors; Sarcopenia; Skeletal muscle; Trade and professional associations; Ultrasonic imaging; Ultrasonography; Ultrasonography - methods; Ultrasound imaging
• ISSN: 1471-2318; 1471-2318
• DOI: 10.1186/s12877-024-05470-8

Symptomatic heart failure (HF) negatively affects the quantity and quality of skeletal muscles. However, the association between asymptomatic HF and skeletal muscle function remains unclear. We aimed to use ultrasonography to elucidate the association between asymptomatic HF and skeletal muscle function in community-dwelling older adults. This cross-sectional study comprised community-dwelling older adults aged ≥ 60 years who could perform activities of daily living independently and had never had symptomatic HF (n = 52, 76.3 ± 6.1 years). The participants were classified into three groups namely, non-HF (n = 26), stage A (n = 19), and stage B (n = 7) according to the HF stage criteria of the American Heart Association /American College of Cardiology /Heart Failure Society of America guideline. Skeletal muscle quantity and quality were assessed using ultrasonography (thickness and echo intensity) of the rectus femoris (RF) and vastus intermedius (VI) muscles. The group effects on muscle thickness and echo intensity in each group were assessed using a multivariate analysis. Both muscles consistently demonstrated significant group effects on the thickness and echo intensity. Thicknesses of the RF (p = 0.020) and VI (p = 0.035) were lower in the stage B group than that in the non-HF group. The echo intensities in the RF (p = 0.006) and VI (p = 0.009) were higher in the stage B group than that in the non-HF group. Asymptomatic HF negatively associated with the characteristics of skeletal muscle function, as assessed by ultrasonography in community-dwelling older adults. The stage B HF contributes to reduced skeletal muscle function as well as symptomatic HF.