Association between obesity and new-onset heart failure among patients with hypertension in Thailand

BACKGROUND

In Thailand, the epidemiological data on the relationship between obesity and heart failure (HF) among high-risk populations was limited. We assessed the association between body mass index (BMI) and the new-onset HF among people with hypertension (HTN), and also assessed the effect modifier of uncontrolled HTN on this association.

METHODS

We analyzed the data obtained from the 2018 Thailand DM/HT study database. Thai people with HTN aged 20 years and older receiving continuous care at outpatient clinics in hospitals nationwide were included. The new-onset HF was defined regarding the ICD-10 as I50 in the medical records within 12 months. Obesity was defined as BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2. Multivariable log-binomial regression analysis was used to determine the association between BMI and new-onset HF and presented as the adjusted risk ratio (aRR) and 95% confidence interval (CI).

RESULTS

A total of 35,756 participants were included in the analysis. In all, 50.0% of the participants had BP control for the last two consecutive visits. The mean BMI was 25.1 ± 4.7 kg/m2. New-onset HF occurred in 75 participants (0.21%; 95% CI 0.17-0.26). After adjusting for potential confounders, an elevated BMI was associated with new-onset HF (p value for quadratic trend < 0.001). In comparison with participants with normal BMI (18.5-22.9 kg/m2), the aRR for new-onset HF was 1.57 (95% CI 0.80-3.07) and 3.97 (95% CI 1.95-8.10) in those with BMI 25.0-29.9, and ≥ 30.0 kg/m2. For participants with obesity, aRR for new-onset HF was 2.05 (95% CI 1.24-3.39) compared to non-obese participants. The study found that among patients with control BP, obesity was associated with a higher risk of new-onset HF with an adjusted RR of 2.33 (95% CI 1.12-4.83). For those with uncontrolled BP, the adjusted RR was 1.83 (95% CI 0.93-3.58), but there was no heterogeneity with p value = 0.642.

CONCLUSION

An increased BMI had a higher risk for new-onset HF among Thai people with HTN. Obesity was independently associated with new-onset HF among people with HTN, regardless of uncontrolled HTN. Our findings highlight that weight reduction is crucial for mitigating the risk of HF development in HTN patients, regardless of their BP control status.