Lymphocytopenia During Hospitalization for Acute Heart Failure and its Relationship with Portal Congestion and Right Ventricular Function

Abstract Background: Lymphocytopenia is associated with mortality in acute heart failure (AHF), and portal congestion has been suggested to play a role in leukocyte distribution. The associations between lymphocytopenia and ultrasound surrogates for portal congestion have never been studied. We aimed to: characterize the determinants of lymphocytopenia; explore the associations between lymphocytopenia and portal congestion; and explore the relationships between lymphocytopenia and outcomes in AHF. Methods and Results: Patients were compared according to tertiles of lymphocyte count(very low, 1.2 × 109/L). 103 patients with AHF were prospectively assessed at baseline and discharge. At baseline, 69% of patients had a lymphocyte count below the normal range. Patients with baseline very low lymphocyte count were older, had more advanced disease and higher PVPI when compared with those in the higher tertiles. Very low lymphocyte count at baseline was associated with age(OR1.098), PVPI(OR1.026) and TAPSE(OR0.865, all p