Prognostic Significance of Baseline Serum Sodium in Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction

• Published in: Journal of the American Heart Association Vol. 7; no. 12
• Main Authors: Patel, Yash R, Kurgansky, Katherine E, Imran, Tasnim F, Orkaby, Ariela R, McLean, Robert R, Ho, Yuk-Lam, Cho, Kelly, Gaziano, J Michael, Djousse, Luc, Gagnon, David R, Joseph, Jacob
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England John Wiley and Sons Inc 13.06.2018; Wiley
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Biomarkers - blood; Databases, Factual; Female; heart failure; Heart Failure - blood; Heart Failure - diagnosis; Heart Failure - mortality; Heart Failure - physiopathology; Hospitalization; Humans; hyponatremia; Male; Middle Aged; mortality; Original Research; preserved left ventricular function; Prognosis; Risk Assessment; Risk Factors; Sodium - blood; Stroke Volume; Time Factors; United States; United States Department of Veterans Affairs; Ventricular Function, Left; United States; mortality; heart failure; hospitalization; hyponatremia; preserved left ventricular function
• ISSN: 2047-9980; 2047-9980
• DOI: 10.1161/JAHA.117.007529

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between serum sodium at the time of diagnosis and long term clinical outcomes in a large national cohort of patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. We studied 25 440 patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction treated at Veterans Affairs medical centers across the United States between 2002 and 2012. Serum sodium at the time of heart failure diagnosis was analyzed as a continuous variable and in categories as follows: low (115.00-134.99 mmol/L), low-normal (135.00-137.99 mmol/L), referent group (138.00-140.99 mmol/L), high normal (141.00-143.99 mmol/L), and high (144.00-160.00 mmol/L). Multivariable Cox regression and negative binomial regression were performed to estimate hazard ratios (95% confidence interval [CI]) and incidence density ratios (95% CI) for the associations of serum sodium with mortality and hospitalizations (heart failure and all-cause), respectively. The average age of patients was 70.8 years, 96.2% were male, and 14% were black. Compared with the referent group, low, low-normal, and high sodium values were associated with 36% (95% CI, 28%-44%), 6% (95% CI, 1%-12%), and 9% (95% CI, 1%-17%) higher risk of all-cause mortality, respectively. Low and low-normal serum sodium were associated with 48% (95% CI, 10%-100%) and 38% (95% CI, 8%-77%) higher risk of number of days of heart failure hospitalizations per year, and with 44% (95% CI, 32%-56%) and 18% (95% CI, 10%-27%) higher risk of number of days of all-cause hospitalizations per year, respectively. Both elevated and reduced serum sodium, including values currently considered within normal range, are associated with adverse outcomes in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.