Prognostic Impact and Prevalence of Cachexia in Patients With Heart Failure: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis

ABSTRACT Background Cachexia, defined as the combination of weight loss, weakness, fatigue, anorexia and abnormal biochemical markers based on Evans' criteria, is known to exacerbate the prognosis of heart failure (HF) patients. This systematic review and meta‐analysis investigates the prognostic impact and prevalence of cachexia, as defined by Evans' criteria, in patients with HF. Methods PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus and Web of Science were searched from inception until December 2023, including HF patients for whom the Evans' criteria were applied to explore the prevalence and prognostic impact of cachexia. This study employed a meta‐analyses using the random‐effects model and inverse‐variance method that was adhered to the revised 2020 PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews and meta‐analyses (CRD42023446443). Results Six prospective or retrospective studies of 2252 patients with HF were included, whereby all‐cause mortality was significantly greater in patients with cachexia with low heterogeneity among studies (HR: 1.60, 95% CI 1.31–1.95, p