Inflammation markers linked to poorer physical recovery
In older adults hospitalized for heart failure, rising markers were linked to 49.7 meters less improvement in six-minute walking distance over three months.
3 months, registered NCT02196038
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
In a study of 226 older adults hospitalized for acute decompensated heart failure, higher senescence-associated markers were linked to poorer physical recovery. Participants averaged 72.3 years old, and 53% were women. They were enrolled in REHAB-HF, a randomized trial comparing a physical rehabilitation program with an attention control group.
Researchers measured 18 markers linked to senescence, a state in which cells stop dividing, during hospitalization and three months later. Their analysis identified a shared signal across markers of inflammation and immune activity. Higher levels of that signal were associated with poorer initial physical performance and shorter six-minute walking distances. Rising marker levels were also linked to smaller improvements in both measures after accounting for age, sex and rehabilitation assignment.
Why it matters
Cellular senescence is a hallmark of aging biology. The authors suggest that its inflammatory markers may help identify patients at risk of poor recovery and potentially guide care after heart failure hospitalization.
Caveats
The study evaluated biomarker associations within a randomized trial rather than testing an intervention targeting cellular senescence. In addition, samples were available for only 65% of trial participants, and all were older adults hospitalized for acute decompensated heart failure.
- Physical rehabilitation
- Inflammation
- Immune response
- Acute decompensated heart failure
- Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction
- Humans
The paper
Wake Forest University School of Medicine
The Journals of Gerontology, Series A, Oct 30, 2026
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