Muscle mass, muscle strength, and functional capacity in patients with heart failure of Chagas disease and other aetiologies.

aimsPatients with Chagas disease and heart failure (HF) have a poor prognosis similar to that of patients with ischaemic or dilated cardiomyopathy. However, the impact of body composition and muscle strength changes in these aetiologies is still unknown. We aimed to evaluate these parameters across aetiologies in two distinct cohort studies [TESTOsterone-Heart Failure trial (TESTO-HF; Brazil) and Studies Investigating Co-morbidities Aggravating Heart Failure (SICA-HF; Germany)]. METHODS AND

resultsA total of 64 male patients with left ventricular ejection fraction ≤40% were matched for body mass index and New York Heart Association class, including 22 patients with Chagas disease (TESTO-HF; Brazil), and 20 patients with dilated cardiomyopathy and 22 patients with ischaemic heart disease (SICA-HF; Germany). Lean body mass (LBM), appendicular lean mass (ALM), and fat mass were assessed by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. Sarcopenia was defined as ALM divided by height in metres squared <7.0 kg/m

conclusionsPatients with Chagas disease and HF have decreased fat mass and exhibit reduced peripheral blood flow and impaired muscle strength compared with ischaemic HF patients. In addition, patients with Chagas disease and HF show a tendency to have greater reduction in total LBM, with ALM remaining an independent predictor of reduced functional capacity in these patients. The percentage of patients affected by sarcopenia was equal between groups.