Background and aims: The prognostic nutritional index (PNI) had been associated with adverse outcomes in numerous clinical conditions. However, its influence on idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) was not determined. This aim of this study was to determine the predictive ability of PNI in patients with idiopathic DCM.
Methods and results: A total of 1021 consecutive patients with idiopathic DCM were retrospectively included and divided into three groups based on admission PNI tertiles: <41.7 (n = 339), 41.7-47.3 (n = 342), >47.3 (n = 340). The association of PNI with in-hospital major adverse clinical events (MACEs) and death during follow-up was evaluated. In-hospital mortality (2.9% vs. 1.5% vs. 0.0%, respectively; p = 0.006) and MACEs (13.6% vs. 6.7% vs. 3.5%, respectively; p < 0.001) decreased from the lowest to the highest PNI tertile. The optimal cut-off value of PNI to predict in-hospital MACEs was 44.0 (area under the curve: 0.689; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.626-0.753; p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that a PNI≤44.0 was an independent risk factor of in-hospital MACEs (odd ratio: 2.86; 95% CI: 1.64-4.98; p < 0.001) and all-cause mortality at a median follow-up of 27 months (hazard ratio: 1.67; 95% CI: 1.11-2.49; p = 0.013). In addition, patients with a PNI≤44.0 had a lower cumulative survival rate during follow-up (log-rank: 35.62; p < 0.001).
Conclusion: The PNI was an independent risk factor for in-hospital MACEs and all-cause mortality at a median follow-up of 27 months in patients with idiopathic DCM; hence, it may be considered a tool for risk assessment.
Keywords: Dilated cardiomyopathy; Prognosis; Prognostic nutritional index.
Copyright © 2019 The Italian Society of Diabetology, the Italian Society for the Study of Atherosclerosis, the Italian Society of Human Nutrition, and the Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Federico II University. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.