SAN FRANCISCO — For at least one medical condition, it's low and not high BMI that predicts mortality, a study has shown.
Patients admitted to the ICU for septic shock had a significantly greater risk of death if they had a lower-than-normal BMI, according to a poster presented by Dr. Almothana Shanaah at the annual congress of the Society of Critical Care Medicine. Patients with BMIs in the overweight or obese ranges had no significantly increased risk of dying.
Dr. Shanaah of Cooper University Hospital, Camden, N.J., and colleagues used a multicenter database to extract data on patients admitted with septic shock. A total of 1,745 patients were included. The researchers considered patients with BMIs of 18.5–24.9 kg/m
The groups did not differ significantly in age or APACHE II (Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation) severity of disease score. Ventilator dependency and chronic renal failure also were associated with mortality.