Does renin-angiotensin system inhibition have impacts on muscle mass and bone mineral density in heart failure patients?

AIMS Results of experimental studies have indicated the possibility of muscle and bone mass being negatively regulated by renin-angiotensin system (RAS) activation, but that possibility has not been analysed in patients with heart failure (HF). METHODS AND RESULTS Data for HF patients who received a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scan in our hospital were reviewed. Propensity scores for the use of RAS inhibitors (RASIs) were calculated using a multivariate logistic regression model to minimize selection bias. One hundred sixty pairs of patients were extracted. Plasma aldosterone concentration was significantly lower in the RASIs group than in the no-RASIs group (119 [IQR 71-185] vs. 94 [IQR 60-131] pg/mL, P = 0.003), confirming RAS inhibition in the RASIs group. Skeletal muscle mass index tended to be higher in the RASIs group than in the non-RASIs group (15.6 [IQR 14.0-17.2] vs. 15.0 [IQR 13.3-16.6] pg/mL, P = 0.065). The proportion of patients with muscle wasting, defined as appendicular skeletal muscle mass indexes of <7.00 and <5.40 kg/m2 for males and females, respectively, was significantly lower in the RASIs group than in the non-RASIs group (53% vs. 64%, P = 0.041). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the no use of RASIs was associated with presence of muscle wasting independently of age, presence of diabetes, renal function, and severity of HF. Bone mineral densities and proportions of patients with osteoporosis were similar in the two groups. CONCLUSIONS Renin-angiotensin system inhibition is associated with a lower prevalence of muscle wasting in HF patients independently of established risk factors.