Table 1.
Baseline characteristics
| Estimated protein intake (g/day) | 1st quartile | 2nd quartile | 3rd quartile | 4th quartile | P for trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 570 | 571 | 571 | 570 | ||
| Protein intake (g/day) | 43 [40–45] | 50 [48–52] | 57 [55–59] | 69 [65–74] | <0.001 |
| Age (years) | 70 ± 13 | 70 ± 11 | 68 ± 12 | 65 ± 12 | <0.001 |
| Male (%) | 419 (74) | 419 (73) | 419 (73) | 419 (74) | 1.000 |
| Clinical profile | |||||
| LVEF (%) | 30 ± 11 | 32 ± 11 | 31 ± 10 | 31 ± 10 | 0.126 |
| HFrEF (%) | 457 (89) | 444 (87) | 454 (89) | 483 (93) | 0.043 |
| HFmrEF (%) | 21 (4) | 25 (5) | 27 (5) | 12 (2) | |
| HFpEF (%) | 34 (7) | 39 (8) | 29 (6) | 22 (5) | |
| NT‐proBNP (ng/L) | 5652 [2887–10 755] | 4375 [2526–9278] | 3693 [2095–7163] | 3161 [1602–5917] | <0.001 |
| Height (cm) | 171 ± 9 | 170 ± 9 | 171 ± 9 | 171 ± 9 | 0.476 |
| Weight (kg) | 70.9 ± 13.1 | 80.3 ± 14.3 | 85.0 ± 17.2 | 90.5 ± 21.0 | <0.001 |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | 24.2 [22.1–26.2] | 27.5 [24.6–29.9] | 28.1 [24.9–32.6] | 30.0 [26.3–34.1] | <0.001 |
| RDA a (%) | 33 (6) | 54 (10) | 120 (21) | 282 (50) | <0.001 |
| In‐hospital inclusion (%) | 397 (70) | 405 (71) | 400 (70) | 320 (56) | <0.001 |
| Oedema present (%) | 290 (62) | 300 (64) | 280 (57) | 257 (54) | 0.008 |
| Rales (%) | 320 (58) | 307 (56) | 290 (52) | 254 (46) | <0.001 |
| Hepatomegaly (%) | 107 (19) | 86 (15) | 62 (11) | 64 (11) | <0.001 |
| ASAT (U/L) | 26.0 [19.0–38.0] | 25.3 [18.0–35.0] | 25.0 [19.0–32.0] | 25.0 [20.0–35.0] | 0.321 |
| ALAT (U/L) | 25.0 [16.0–41.0] | 24.0 [16.0–34.1] | 24.0 [18.0–41.0] | 27.0 [18.0–41.0] | 0.029 |
| Gamma‐GT (U/L) | 61.0 [30.0–128.0] | 63.0 [29.3–118.8] | 46.0 [26.8–87.3] | 44.0 [25.0–90.0] | <0.001 |
| Alkaline phosphatase (μg/L) | 92.0 [71.0–126.5] | 86.0 [65.0–119.0] | 82.0 [63.0–111.5] | 79.5 [63.0–115.0] | 0.004 |
| eGFR (mL/min/1.73 m2) | 58.6 ± 23.4 | 56.9 ± 22.6 | 61.1 ± 22.5 | 66.9 ± 21.2 | <0.001 |
| Creatinine, serum (μmol/L) | 105.2 [85.8–139.5] | 109.0 [88.0–141.4] | 103.0 [84.0–132.4] | 96.6 [81.0–114.9] | <0.001 |
| Urea, serum (mmol/L) | 12.9 [7.8–21.7] | 12.0 [8.1–18.9] | 11.1 [7.4–17.1] | 9.6 [7.1–15.4] | <0.001 |
| Medical history | |||||
| Hypertension (%) | 325 (57) | 372 (65) | 366 (64) | 371 (65) | 0.011 |
| Myocardial infarction (%) | 225 (40) | 214 (38) | 216 (38) | 211 (37) | 0.842 |
| PCI (%) | 134 (24) | 119 (21) | 136 (24) | 107 (19) | 0.126 |
| CABG (%) | 104 (18) | 110 (19) | 94 (17) | 80 (14) | 0.095 |
| Diabetes mellitus (%) | 163 (29) | 192 (34) | 200 (35) | 200 (35) | 0.064 |
| Stroke (%) | 48 (8) | 68 (12) | 44 (8) | 45 (8) | 0.043 |
| Atrial fibrillation (%) | 253 (44) | 273 (48) | 266 (47) | 230 (40) | 0.059 |
| COPD (%) | 100 (18) | 113 (20) | 108 (19) | 78 (14) | 0.035 |
| Peripheral arterial disease (%) | 62 (11) | 73 (13) | 68 (12) | 49 (9) | 0.128 |
| NYHA class | 0.039 | ||||
| 1 | 62 (11) | 35 (6) | 54 (10) | 53 (9) | |
| 2 | 253 (44) | 273 (48) | 254 (45) | 274 (48) | |
| 3 | 183 (32) | 180 (32) | 159 (28) | 146 (26) | |
| 4 | 16 (3) | 16 (3) | 20 (4) | 19 (3) | |
| Beta‐blocker use (%) | 462 (81) | 471 (83) | 477 (84) | 489 (86) | 0.181 |
| MRA use (%) | 286 (50) | 308 (54) | 308 (54) | 324 (57) | 0.162 |
| Diuretics use (%) | 570 (100) | 571 (100) | 570 (100) | 569 (100) | 0.572 |
| ACE‐I/ARB use (%) | 395 (69) | 395 (69) | 418 (73) | 438 (77) | 0.010 |
| Malnutrition markers | |||||
| Albumin (g/L) | 32.0 ± 9.2 | 31.7 ± 8.7 | 32.1 ± 8.7 | 33.5 ± 7.8 | 0.003 |
| Haemoglobin (g/dL) | 12.9 ± 2.0 | 13.1 ± 1.9 | 13.1 ± 1.8 | 13.7 ± 1.8 | <0.001 |
| Total cholesterol (mmol/L) | 3.80 [3.13–4.70] | 4.00 [3.30–4.85] | 4.11 [3.40–5.01] | 4.41 [3.50–5.30] | <0.001 |
| CRP (mg/L) | 13.0 [5.0–24.8] | 14.2 [6.4–28.0] | 13.0 [5.9–27.5] | 12.2 [5.4–26.2] | 0.089 |
| Outcome | |||||
| All‐cause mortality (%) | 180 (32) | 163 (29) | 139 (24) | 100 (18) | <0.001 |
| Days of follow‐up | 589 [429–826] | 605 [466–806] | 623 [467–823] | 655 [518–823] | |
ACE‐I, angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitor; ALAT, alanine transaminase; ARB, angiotensin receptor blocker; ASAT, aspartate transaminase; CABG, coronary artery bypass graft; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; CRP, C‐reactive protein; eGFR, estimated glomerular filtration rate; gamma‐GT, gamma‐glutamyltransferase; HFmrEF, heart failure with mid‐range ejection fraction; HFpEF, heart failure with preserved ejection fraction; HFrEF, heart failure with reduced ejection fraction; LVEF, left ventricular ejection fraction; MRA, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist; NT‐proBNP, N‐terminal pro‐brain natriuretic peptide; NYHA, New York Heart Association; PCI, percutaneous coronary intervention; RDA, recommended dietary allowance.
Values are given as means ± standard deviation, median (25th to 75th percentiles), or percentage and frequency.
Recommended dietary allowance for protein is a minimum of 0.8 g/kg of body weight.