Epidemiologic data supporting the association of accumulated inflammation from mid-to late-life with late life risk of cardiac dysfunction and heart failure (HF) is limited.
Among 4,011 participants in the ARIC study free of prevalent cardiovascular disease at study Visit 5, accumulated inflammation was defined as time-averaged hsCRP over three visits spanning 1990-2013. Associations with LV function at Visit 5 and with incident adjudicated HF post-Visit 5 were assessed using linear and Cox regression adjusting for demographics and comorbidities. Higher accumulated hsCRP associated with greater LV mass index, lower e’, higher E/e’, and higher pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP) adjusting for demographics (all p ≤0.01), but only with higher PASP after adjustment for comorbidities (p=0.024). At 5.3±1.2 year follow-up, higher accumulated hsCRP associated with greater risk of incident HF (HR 1.31 [95% CI 1.18-1.47], p0.10). Only Visit 5 hsCRP remained associated with incident HF (1.12 [1.02-1.24], p=0.02) after full adjustment.
Greater accumulated inflammation is associated with worse LV function and heightened HF risk in late-life. These relationships are attenuated after adjusting for HF risk factors.

Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Inc.

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