The relationship between physical performance and cardiac function in an elderly Russian cohort

• First epidemiological study on the prevalence of cardiac dysfunction in community-dwelling elderly Russians.
• Prevalences are comparable to, or in some cases lower than, prevalences reported for Western countries.
• Correlations between echocardiographic abnormalities and SPPB scores are limited.
• Cardiac dysfunction and physical performance are independent predictors of mortality in the oldest participants.

This study aims to determine the cardiac dysfunction prevalence, to investigate the relationship between the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) test and structural and functional echocardiographic parameters and to determine whether SPPB scores and cardiac dysfunction are independent mortality predictors in an elderly Russian population. A random sample of 284 community-dwelling adults aged 65 and older were selected from a population-based register and divided into two age groups (65–74 and ≥75). The SPPB test, echocardiography and all-cause mortality were measured. The prevalence of cardiac dysfunction was 12% in the 65–74 group and 23% in the ≥75 group. The multivariate models could explain 15% and 23% of the SPPB score total variance for the 65–74 and ≥75 age groups, respectively. In the younger age group, the mean follow-up time was 2.6 ± 0.46 years, and the adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for risk of mortality from cardiac dysfunction was 4.9. In the older age group, the mean follow-up time was 2.4 ± 0.61 years, and both cardiac dysfunction and poor physical performance were found to be independent predictors of mortality (adjusted HR = 3.4 and adjusted HR = 4.2, respectively). The cardiac dysfunction prevalence in this elderly Russian population was found to be comparable to, or even lower than, reported prevalences for Western countries. Furthermore, the observed correlations between echocardiographic abnormalities and SPPB scores were limited. Cardiac dysfunction was shown to be a strong mortality predictor in both age groups, and poor physical performance was identified as an independent mortality predictor in the oldest subjects.