Nutritional status is linked to disease severity and self-care capacity in patients with chronic heart failure

Background Malnutrition is common among patients with heart failure (HF) and is associated with worse clinical outcomes. Self-care is essential for effective HF management. This study evaluated the relationship between nutritional status, self-care capacity, and clinical characteristics in hospitalized patients with chronic HF. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study among 100 hospitalized HF patients (mean age 75.9 ± 9.8 years; 63% men). Nutritional status was assessed using the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) and self-care using the nine-item European Heart Failure Self-care Behaviour Scale (9-EHFScBS). Clinical characteristics included NYHA class, LVEF, comorbidities, and laboratory markers. Results Mean BMI was 29.3 ± 6.5 kg/m². NYHA class distribution was 41% in class II and 57% in class III; 70% had HFrEF. A high proportion of patients were at risk of malnutrition. MNA scores showed no sex-related differences (p = 0.917). Better nutritional status correlated positively with BMI (r = 0.39), hemoglobin (r = 0.25), and triglycerides (r = 0.30), and negatively with NYHA class (ρ = −0.35), NT-proBNP (r = −0.27), and comorbidity burden (r = −0.20). Self-care was significantly reduced compared with reference values (p < 0.001) and showed a weak positive correlation with nutritional status (r = 0.29). Conclusions Nutritional status is closely related to HF severity and self-care capacity. Routine nutritional screening should be integrated into HF management to identify high-risk patients and support targeted interventions.