Sarcopenia in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: Impact on muscle strength, exercise capacity and quality of life.

BACKGROUND To describe the prevalence of sarcopenia in ambulatory patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and its relation to reduced exercise capacity, muscle strength, and quality of life (QoL). METHODS AND RESULTS A total of 117 symptomatic outpatients with HFpEF were prospectively enrolled in Germany, England, and Slovenia as part of the Studies Investigating Co-morbidities Aggravating Heart Failure (SICA-HF). Appendicular skeletal muscle (ASM) mass (the sum of muscle mass in both arms and legs) was assessed by DEXA. Echocardiography, 6-minute walk testing (6-MWT), muscle strength assessment, spiroergometry and QoL evaluation using EQ-5D Questionnaire were performed. Sarcopenia was defined as ASM 2 standard deviations below the mean of a healthy reference group aged 18-40years. Patients were divided into 3 groups according to the E/e' value: ≤8, 9-14, and ≥15. Sarcopenia was detected in 19.7% of all patients. These patients performed worse during 6-MWT (404±116 vs. 307±145m, p=0.003) and showed lower absolute peak oxygen consumption (1579±474 vs. 1211±442mL/min, p15 (p<0.05). Higher values of muscle strength/ASM were associated with a better QoL (r=0.5, p