The Obesity Paradox Revisited: Body Mass Index and Long-Term Outcomes After PCI From a Large Pooled Patient-Level Database.

Abstract

AIMS\nTo evaluate the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and outcomes in patients with coronary artery disease undergoing percutaneous revascularization.\n\n\nMETHODS AND RESULTS\nIn 13 randomized trials 22,922 patients were stratified (in kg/m2) as underweight (BMI <18.5), normal weight (18.5≤BMI<25, used as reference), overweight (25≤BMI<30), and obese (Class I [30≤BMI<35], Class II [35≤BMI<40], or Class III [BMI≥40]). The primary endpoint was all-cause death at 5 years. Secondary endpoints were cardiac and non-cardiac death, target (TLR) and non-target lesion revascularization (NTLR), myocardial infarction (MI), and definite/probable stent thrombosis. Despite adjustment for multiple confounders, overweight and Class I obesity were associated with lower all-cause mortality vs normal weight (HR 0.83; 95%CI 0.71-0.96 and HR 0.83; 95%CI 0.69-0.96 respectively); however, non-cardiac death was the major contributor to this effect (HR 0.77; 95% CI 0.63-0.94 for overweight). Conversely, cardiac mortality was higher in severely obese individuals (HR 1.62; 95%CI 1.05-2.51 for Class III obesity). Obesity was associated with higher rates of NTLR (HR 1.28, 95%CI 1.04-1.58 for Class II obesity) but not with TLR, MI and stent thrombosis.\n\n\nCONCLUSIONS\nModerately increased BMI is associated with improved survival post-PCI, mostly due to lower non-cardiac but not cardiac mortality.