Nutritional status in patients with heart failure

In recent years, the role of nutritional status in the development of complications and in the prognosis of patients with cardiovascular diseases was studied. This study included 70 patients with pulmonary embolism and 116 patients with acquired heart diseases before surgical and pharmacological treatment. Albumin concentration, absolute lymphocyte count, and BMI were determined to assess the nutritional status. Concentrations of brain natriuretic peptides were measured to assess the degree of heart failure. Association between increase in BMI and decrease in the BNP level were found in both examined groups. In acquired heart disease group, decreases in the albumin concentration and absolute lymphocyte count were associated with an increase in BNP, which may suggest that the degree of heart failure affects the development of nutritional deficiency.