Nutritional State Predicts All-Cause Death Independent of Comorbidities in Geriatric Patients with Coronary Artery Disease

Prognostic value of geriatric nutritional risk index in patients with stable coronary artery disease undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention

BACKGROUND

Malnutrition increases the risk of poor prognosis in patients with cardiovascular disease, and our current research was designed to assess the predictive performance of the Geriatric Nutrition Risk Index (GNRI) for the occurrence of poor prognosis after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with stable coronary artery disease (SCAD) and to explore possible thresholds for nutritional intervention.

METHODS

This study retrospectively enrolled newly diagnosed SCAD patients treated with elective PCI from 2014 to 2017 at Shinonoi General Hospital, with all-cause death as the main follow-up endpoint. Cox regression analysis and restricted cubic spline (RCS) regression analysis were used to explore the association of GNRI with all-cause death risk and its shape. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis and piecewise linear regression analysis were used to evaluate the predictive performance of GNRI level at admission on all-cause death in SCAD patients after PCI and to explore possible nutritional intervention threshold points.

RESULTS

The incidence of all-cause death was 40.47/1000 person-years after a mean follow-up of 2.18 years for 204 subjects. Kaplan-Meier curves revealed that subjects at risk of malnutrition had a higher all-cause death risk. In multivariate Cox regression analysis, each unit increase in GNRI reduced the all-cause death risk by 14% (HR 0.86, 95% CI 0.77, 0.95), and subjects in the GNRI > 98 group had a significantly lower risk of death compared to those in the GNRI < 98 group (HR 0.04, 95% CI 0.00, 0.89). ROC analysis showed that the baseline GNRI had a very high predictive performance for all-cause death (AUC = 0.8844), and the predictive threshold was 98.62; additionally, in the RCS regression analysis and piecewise linear regression analysis we found that the threshold point for the GNRI-related all-cause death risk was 98.28 and the risk will be significantly reduced when the subjects' baseline GNRI was greater than 98.28.

CONCLUSIONS

GNRI level at admission was an independent predictor of all-cause death in SCAD patients after PCI, and GNRI equal to 98.28 may be a useful threshold for nutritional intervention in SCAD patients treated with PCI.

Appropriate Anthropometric Indices for Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index in Predicting Mortality in Older Japanese Patients: A Comparison of the Lorentz Formula and Body Mass Index

The Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) is a popular nutritional screening tool. However, the calculation of ideal body weight (IBW) differs among studies. We aimed to compare GNRI calculated using the Lorentz formula (LF) with a body mass index (BMI) and to investigate the cutoffs based on original or quartile criteria for the association with mortality in elderly patients in Japan. This retrospective study enrolled patients aged 65 and older in a long-term care hospital. The GNRI was calculated using two different IBW methods: the LF and a BMI of 22 kg/m2. We categorized GNRI results based on the original criteria or quartile criteria. Mortality outcomes were analyzed using the GNRI based on IBW (LF or BMI) and its classification (original criteria or quartile) through Cox proportional hazard regression. There were 262 participants, including 160 women, with a median age of 86. There was a notable difference between GNRI-BMI and GNRI-LF. The GNRI-LF original and quartile criteria did not show an association with mortality. A significant association with mortality was found between Q1 and Q4 in the GNRI-BMI quartile criteria (hazard ratio: 2.60; 95% confidence interval: 1.66-4.07, p < 0.01), but not the GNRI-BMI original criteria. The GNRI calculated using BMI with quartile criteria proved to be a reliable predictor of mortality for Japanese elderly inpatients. The calculation method of GNRI and the appropriate cutoff point should be considered based on the patient's background.

Clinical Phenotypes of Cardiovascular and Heart Failure Diseases Can Be Reversed? The Holistic Principle of Systems Biology in Multifaceted Heart Diseases

Recent advances in cardiology and biological sciences have improved quality of life in patients with complex cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) or heart failure (HF). Regardless of medical progress, complex cardiac diseases continue to have a prolonged clinical course with high morbidity and mortality. Interventional coronary techniques together with drug therapy improve quality and future prospects of life, but do not reverse the course of the atherosclerotic process that remains relentlessly progressive. The probability of CVDs and HF phenotypes to reverse can be supported by the advances made on the medical holistic principle of systems biology (SB) and on artificial intelligence (AI). Studies on clinical phenotypes reversal should be based on the research performed in large populations of patients following gathering and analyzing large amounts of relative data that embrace the concept of complexity. To decipher the complexity conundrum, a multiomics approach is needed with network analysis of the biological data. Only by understanding the complexity of chronic heart diseases and explaining the interrelationship between different interconnected biological networks can the probability for clinical phenotypes reversal be increased.

Predictive Value of Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease: A Meta-Analysis

Background: Low Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index has been identified as an index of impaired nutritional state. The objective of the meta-analysis was to assess the association of the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) with adverse outcomes in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD).

Methods: Relevant studies were identified by comprehensively searching PubMed and Embase databases in May 2021. Studies assessing the association of GNRI with all-cause mortality or major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) in patients with CAD were included. The predictive value of GNRI was summarized by pooling multivariable adjusted risk ratios (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) per GNRI point decrease or the lowest vs. the highest GNRI group.

Results: A total of eight studies involving 9277 patients with CAD were analyzed. Meta-analysis showed that the lowest GNRI was associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality (RR 2.10; 95% CI 1.68–2.63) and MACEs (RR 2.84; 95% CI 1.56–5.16), respectively. Furthermore, per point decrease in GNRI was associated with 8 and 10% additional risk of all-cause mortality and MACEs. Subgroup analysis indicated that the value of low GNRI in predicting all-cause mortality was not affected by subtype of patients or follow-up duration.

Conclusion: Low GNRI score at baseline was associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular events in patients with CAD. The nutritional state estimated by the GNRI score could provide important predictive information in patients with CAD.

Predicting One-Year Deaths and Major Adverse Vascular Events with the Controlling Nutritional Status Score in Elderly Patients with Non-ST-Elevated Myocardial Infarction Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

The prognostic value of malnutrition in elderly patients with non-ST-elevated myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) is not fully understood. Nutritional characteristics were evaluated by novel Controlling Nutritional status (CONUT), the prognostic nutritional index (PNI) and the geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) scores. The impact of these scores on major outcomes in 253 NSTEMI patients over 60 years and older were assessed. Compared to those with good nutritional status; malnourished patients had more major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCEs) at 1-year follow up. Multivariable cox regression analysis revealed that CONUT (hazard ratio = 1.372; p < 0.01) was independent predictor of MACCEs, whereas PNI (p = 0.44) and GNRI (p = 0.52) were not. The discriminating power of the CONUT (AUC: 0.79) was adequate and significantly superior to both the PNI (AUC: 0.68) and the GNRI (AUC: 0.60), with a p-value for both < 0.01. Patients with elevated CONUT exhibited the highest event rate for all-cause mortality and MACCEs in survival analysis (p < 0.01). We conclude that malnutrition is strongly associated with adverse outcomes in older patients with NSTEMI. In fact, the CONUT score adequately predicts one-year MACCEs among elderly NSTEMI patients who achieve complete revascularization after coronary intervention.

Nutritional status and severity of coronary artery disease

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to evaluate the association between Nutritional Risk Index (NRI), a simple tool to assess nutritional status, and coronary artery disease severity and complexity in patients undergoing coronary angiography.

METHODS

This study is a retrospective analysis of 822 patients undergoing coronary angiography. Patients with previous revascularization were excluded. Gensini and SYNTAX scores were calculated according to the angiographic images to determine atherosclerosis severity. NRI was calculated as follows: NRI = [15.19 × serum albumin (g/dl)] + [41.7 × (body weight/ideal body weight)]. In patients ≥65 years of age, Geriatric NRI (GNRI) was used instead of NRI. GNRI was calculated as follows: GNRI = [14.89 × serum albumin (g/dl)] + [41.7 × (body weight/ideal body weight)]. Patients were then divided into three groups as previously reported: NRI < 92, NRI 92-98 and NRI > 98. Gensini and SYNTAX scores were compared between three groups.

RESULTS

The mean age of study population was 61.9 ± 11.1 years. NRI < 92, 92-98, and >98 was measured in 212, 321 and 289 patients, respectively. There was no difference regarding to sex, BMI, smoking, hypertension and diabetes mellitus between three groups. Patients with NRI < 92 had the highest mean Gensini score than the patients with NRI 92-98 and NRI > 98 (38.0 ± 40.6 vs. 31.17 ± 42.4 vs. 25.8 ± 38.4, P = 0.005). Also patients with NRI < 92 had the highest mean SYNTAX score than the patients with NRI 92-98 and NRI > 98 (11.8 ± 12.9 vs. 9.3 ± 12.4 vs. 7.7 ± 11.8, P = 0.001). Also, Gensini score of ≥20 and high SYNTAX score of ≥33 were associated with lower NRI (P < 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively).

CONCLUSION

In our study, nutritional status evaluated by the NRI was associated with more extensive and complex coronary atherosclerosis in patients undergoing coronary angiography.

[Predictors for development of major cardiovascular events in elderly patients with severe and extremely severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in combination with early stages of chronic kidney disease]

AIM

To study the structure of major cardiovascular events (MCVE) and to identify their independent predictors in elderly patients with severe and extremely severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in combination with early stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study included 172 elderly patients with stage 3-4 COPD associated with stage 1-2 CKD. Initially, risk factors for MCVE were identified and levels of vitamin D (25 (ОН) D) were measured for all patients. In 12 months, MCVE anamnesis was collected, and patients were divided into two groups with and without MCVE during the observation period. The risk factors for MCVE, which were significantly different between the two groups according to results of a one-way analysis, were successively included into a logistic regression for identifying independent predictors of MCVE. A ROC analysis was performed for the identified variables to identify a predictive cut-off point.

RESULTS

21 MCVEs were observed in 8.7% (15) patients. Heart rhythm disorders (HRD) not reversed at the prehospital stage were observed in 38.1% patients; acute cerebrovascular disease and transient ischemic attack - in 23.8%, acute coronary syndrome - in 23.8%, and pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) - in 14.3%. Two MCVEs, namely, a combination of HRD not reversed at the prehospital stage and PTE, were observed in 3 (20%) patients. The ROC analysis showed that the incidence of COPD exacerbation for the previous 12 months &gt;3 had the highest predictive value for the 12-month risk of MCVE in patients with COPD associated with early CKD (95% CI, 0.823-0.925, р=0.001). A total PROCAM score &lt;50 (95% CI, 0.882-0.964, р=0.001); GFR ≥80 ml/min/1.73 m2 (95% CI, 0.750-0.870, р=0.001); and a level of vitamin D ≥33 ng/ml (95% CI, 0.730-0.855, р=0.001) reduced the risk for MCVE.

CONCLUSIONS

In elderly patients with grade 3-4 COPD associated with stage 1-2 CKD, the development of MCVE within 12 months was determined by the incidence of COPD exacerbations for the previous 12 months &gt;3 while a total PROCAM score &lt;50, GFR &gt;80 ml/min/1.73 m3 , and levels of vitamin D &gt;33 ng/ml reduced the risk of MCVE in these patients.

Malnutrition Screening and Assessment in Hospitalised Older People: a Review

Malnutrition (undernutrition) remains one of the most serious health problems for older people worldwide. Many factors contribute to malnutrition in older people, including: loss of appetite, polypharmacy, dementia, frailty, poor dentition, swallowing difficulties, social isolation, and poverty. Malnutrition is common in the hospital setting, yet often remains undetected by medical staff. The objective of this review is to compare the validity and reliability of Nutritional Screening Tools (NSTs) for older adults in the hospital setting. We also provide an overview of the various nutritional screening and assessment tools used to identify malnutrition in hospitalised older adults. These include: Subjective Global Assessment (SGA), the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), MNA-short form (MNA-SF), Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST), Simplified Nutritional Appetite Questionnaire (SNAQ), Geriatric Nutrition Risk Index (GNRI) and anthropometric measurements. The prevalence and outcomes of malnutrition in hospitalised older adults are also addressed.

Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) score as a predictor of all-cause mortality in elderly hypertensive patients: a prospective follow-up study

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to elucidate the impact of nutritional status on survival per Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) score and Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) in patients with hypertension over 80 years of age.

DESIGN

Prospective follow-up study.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 336 hypertensive patients over 80 years old were included in this study.

OUTCOME MEASURES

All-cause deaths were recorded as Kaplan-Meier curves to evaluate the association between CONUT and all-cause mortality at follow-up. Cox regression models were used to investigate the prognostic value of CONUT and GNRI for all-cause mortality in the 90-day period after admission.

RESULTS

Hypertensive patients with higher CONUT scores exhibited higher mortality within 90 days after admission (1.49%, 6.74%, 15.38%, respectively, χ²=30.92, p=0.000). Surviving patients had higher body mass index (24.25±3.05 vs 24.25±3.05, p=0.012), haemoglobin (123.78±17.05 vs 115.07±20.42, p=0.040) and albumin levels, as well as lower fasting blood glucose (6.90±2.48 vs 8.24±3.51, p=0.010). Higher GRNI score (99.42±6.55 vs 95.69±7.77, p=0.002) and lower CONUT (3.13±1.98 vs 5.14±2.32) both indicated better nutritional status. Kaplan-Meier curves indicated that survival rates were significantly worse in the high-CONUT group compared with the low-CONUT group (χ¹ =13.372, p=0.001). Cox regression indicated an increase in HR with increasing CONUT risk (from normal to moderate to severe). HRs (95% CI) for 3-month mortality was 1.458 (95% CI 1.102 to 1.911). In both respiratory tract infection and 'other reason' groups, only CONUT was a sufficiently predictor for all-cause mortality (HR=1.284, 95% CI 1.013 to 1.740, p=0.020 and HR=1.841, 95% CI 1.117 to 4.518, p=0.011). Receiver operating characteristic showed that CONUT higher than 3.0 was found to predict all-cause mortality with a sensitivity of 77.8% and a specificity of 64.7% (area under the curve=0.778, p<0.001).

CONCLUSION

Nutritional status assessed via CONUT is an accurate predictor of all-cause mortality 90 days postadmission. Evaluation of nutritional status may provide additional prognostic information in hypertensive patients.