Heart Failure Risk Nearly Doubled With High Salt Intake
A higher salt consumption is associated with a 2-times higher risk of heart failure (HF), according to a recent study.
Findings were presented by Dr Pekka Jousilahti on August 29, 2017, at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Barcelona, Spain.
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It is well known that a high consumption of salt is significantly associated with high blood pressure, as well as an increased risk of coronary heart disease and stroke. However, the effects of salt consumption on HF risk have not been well established.
To explore this relationship further, Jousilahti and colleagues evaluated 4630 men and women enrolled in the North Karelia Salt Study and the National FINRISK Study between 1979 and 2002 in Finland. Patient ages ranged from 25 to 64 years.
During the study, nurses measured participants’ urine volume and took a 100 mL sample for further analysis. Follow-up lasted 12 years and was conducted via computerized register linkage to National Health Records.
The researchers used the Causes of Death Register, the Hospital Discharge Register and drug reimbursement records to identify incident cases of HF. The association between salt intake and the risk of an incident new HF event was estimated. Daily salt intake was measured in quintiles of less than 6.8 g/d, 6.8 to 8.8 g/d, 8.8 to 10.9 g/d, 10.96 to 13.7 g/d, and more than 13.7 g/d.
After adjusting for age, sex, study year, and location, the researchers found that a high consumption of salt was associated with a significantly higher risk of HF. This risk was found to be independent of blood pressure. Results indicated that 121 patients had developed HF over the course of follow-up. Hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated as 0.83 in the 2nd quintile, 1.40 in the 3rd, 1.70 in the 4th, and 2.10 in the 5th, compared with the 1st quintile. Following further adjustment for systolic blood pressure, serum total cholesterol level, and body mass index, HRs were 1.13 in the 2nd quintile, 1.45 in the 3rd, 1.56 in the 4th, and 1.75 in the 5th, compared with the 1st quintile.
“Studies in larger, pooled population cohorts are needed to make more detailed estimations of the increased heart failure risk associated with consuming salt,” the researchers concluded.
—Christina Vogt
Reference:
High salt intake associated with doubled risk of heart failure [press release]. Barcelona, Spain: European Society of Cardiology: August 28-30, 2017. https://www.escardio.org/The-ESC/Press-Office/Press-releases/high-salt-intake-associated-with-doubled-risk-of-heart-failure. Accessed August 29, 2017.