Linking metabolic score for visceral fat to heart failure: insights from national health and nutrition examination survey 2003-2018.

Background: Visceral fat has become increasingly recognized as a key modifiable risk factor in the development of heart failure (HF). This study aims to investigate the link between the Metabolic Score for Visceral Fat (METS-VF) and the prevalence of HF, and evaluate whether METS-VF could improve the detection of HF in the general population.

Methods: 24,681 subjects from the 2003-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were included in the analysis. HF was determined according to self-reported medical history.

Results: The overall prevalence of HF was found to be 2.91%. After adjusting for relevant confounders, each one-standard-deviation increase in METS-VF was associated with a 75.4% higher risk of prevalent HF. Participants with METS-VF values in the highest quartile had a 2.731-fold greater risk of prevalent HF than those in the lowest quartile. The relationship between METS-VF and HF appeared nearly linear based on smooth-curve modeling, and subgroup analyses confirmed this association across different demographic groups. When METS-VF was added to standard cardiovascular risk factors, there was a slight improvement in HF discrimination (AUC: 0.867 vs. 0.873, P = 0.003). Reclassification metrics also highlighted the incremental value of including METS-VF.

Conclusion: The findings of this study demonstrated a strong, linear relationship between METS-VF and the prevalence of HF, suggesting that METS-VF could be an adjunctive tool for improving HF screening in the general population.