Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health Sciences, Fukushima Medical University, 10-6, Sakaemachi, Fukushima, 960-8516, Japan.
Faculty of Life Sciences, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Toyo University, Asaka, Japan.
BMC Geriatr. 2024 Oct 24;24(1):871. doi: 10.1186/s12877-024-05470-8.
Symptomatic heart failure (HF) negatively affects the quantity and quality of skeletal muscles. However, the association between asymptomatic HF and skeletal muscle function remains unclear. We aimed to use ultrasonography to elucidate the association between asymptomatic HF and skeletal muscle function in community-dwelling older adults.
This cross-sectional study comprised community-dwelling older adults aged ≥ 60 years who could perform activities of daily living independently and had never had symptomatic HF (n = 52, 76.3 ± 6.1 years). The participants were classified into three groups namely, non-HF (n = 26), stage A (n = 19), and stage B (n = 7) according to the HF stage criteria of the American Heart Association /American College of Cardiology /Heart Failure Society of America guideline. Skeletal muscle quantity and quality were assessed using ultrasonography (thickness and echo intensity) of the rectus femoris (RF) and vastus intermedius (VI) muscles. The group effects on muscle thickness and echo intensity in each group were assessed using a multivariate analysis.
Both muscles consistently demonstrated significant group effects on the thickness and echo intensity. Thicknesses of the RF (p = 0.020) and VI (p = 0.035) were lower in the stage B group than that in the non-HF group. The echo intensities in the RF (p = 0.006) and VI (p = 0.009) were higher in the stage B group than that in the non-HF group.
Asymptomatic HF negatively associated with the characteristics of skeletal muscle function, as assessed by ultrasonography in community-dwelling older adults. The stage B HF contributes to reduced skeletal muscle function as well as symptomatic HF.
有症状的心衰（HF）会对骨骼肌的数量和质量产生负面影响。然而，无症状 HF 与骨骼肌功能之间的关系仍不清楚。我们旨在使用超声检查来阐明社区居住的老年人群中无症状 HF 与骨骼肌功能之间的关系。
本横断面研究纳入了年龄≥60 岁、能够独立完成日常生活活动且从未有过有症状 HF 的社区居住的老年人（n=52，76.3±6.1 岁）。根据美国心脏协会/美国心脏病学院/美国心力衰竭学会指南的 HF 分期标准，将参与者分为非 HF 组（n=26）、A 期组（n=19）和 B 期组（n=7）。使用超声检查（股直肌[RF]和股中间肌[VI]的厚度和回声强度）评估骨骼肌的数量和质量。使用多变量分析评估各组对各肌肉厚度和回声强度的组间影响。
两组肌肉的厚度和回声强度均存在显著的组间差异。B 期组 RF（p=0.020）和 VI（p=0.035）的厚度明显低于非 HF 组。B 期组 RF（p=0.006）和 VI（p=0.009）的回声强度明显高于非 HF 组。
在社区居住的老年人中，超声检查评估无症状 HF 与骨骼肌功能特征呈负相关。B 期 HF 除了与有症状 HF 一样会导致骨骼肌功能下降外，还会导致骨骼肌功能下降。
