Phase angle of bioimpedance as a marker of inflammation in cardiovascular diseases: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this systematic review was to investigate whether phase angle (PhA) of bioelectrical impedance is associated with inflammatory markers in cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). METHODS: A search was performed in the following databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Latin American Caribbean Health Sciences Literature (LILACS), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Web of Science and Scopus; and in the gray literature up to January 2022. Studies with individuals with CVDs were included, to evaluate the association between PhA and the inflammatory markers interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, IL-18, IL-1ß, IL-33, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, C-reactive protein (CRP), toll-like receptor (TLR) 2, TLR 4, nuclear factor κB, pathogen-associated molecular pattern molecules, lipopolysaccharides, interferon-γ-inducing factor, and JAK STAT. RESULTS: We identified 755 articles and, after an eligibility analysis, 5 studies were included. The inflammatory markers investigated in the studies were CRP, TNF-α, and IL-33. In patients with CVDs, PhA was negatively associated with CRP and TNF-α in 80% and 100% of the studies, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The present results suggested that PhA is inversely associated with inflammatory markers in individuals with CVDs, and its clinical use is encouraged for better therapeutic planning.

Phase angle of bioimpedance at 50 kHz is associated with cardiovascular diseases: systematic review and meta-analysis.

The phase angle of bioimpedance is an important prognostic tool in clinical practice. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between phase angle and cardiovascular diseases. Electronic searches were carried out on MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane, SCIELO, LILACS, CINAHL, Scopus, and the Web of Science. The PECO was "P" adults over 18 years of age, "E" the presence of cardiovascular disease, "C" absence of cardiovascular disease, and "O" phase angle values. The phase-angle means difference (MD) was analyzed separately by sex. Subgroup metanalysis with age, body mass index, and heart failure disease and meta-regressions were analyzed with random-effects models. Sensitivity analysis was performed considering only studies with high quality. The heterogeneity among studies was assessed using the Q-Cochran test and I² statistics. Four-hundred-thirty-nine articles were identified, and 22 studies were included in this systematic review, totaling 10.010 participants. Eight studies met the criteria for the meta-analysis, involving 2164 participants. The phase angle (PA) was measured at 50 kHz frequency in all studies. Individuals with cardiovascular disease had a smaller PA compared to the control group, for both males (MD -0.70; 95% CI -1.01 to -0.39) and females (MD -0.76; 95% CI -1.39 to -0.13). In the sensitivity analysis, in men, the quality of studies (P < 0.01), and in women, heart failure (P < 0.01) was significantly different between groups.The values of the phase angle were lower in individuals with cardiovascular disease than in control subjects. This result reinforces the importance of this tool in clinical practice, highlighting its potential to assess health status. Registration: The systematic review protocol was registered in the PROSPERO database as CRD42020164178.