Anaemia is an independent predictor of death in patients hospitalized for acute heart failure

Abstract

Background: Acute heart failure is associated with a poor prognosis. It is important to identify patients at increased risk of adverse events. The presence of anaemia could help in this regard.

Methods and results: Admission charts of 627 patients (325 female) with acute heart failure were analysed; 182 patients (29%) fulfilled the World Health Organization criteria of anaemia [haemoglobin (Hb) < 13.0 in men, <12.0 g/dl in women], 87 (48%) of them were female. Anaemic patients were older than non-anaemics (p = 0.04), had lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure (both p < 0.05), had higher creatinine (p < 0.01), and stayed longer in hospital (p = 0.0005). Patients were followed-up for a mean of 61 months or until death. A total of 387 patients (61.7%) died during follow-up. Anaemia was an independent predictor of death in this cohort. Patients with moderate or severe anaemia (Hb < 12 in men or <11 g/dl in women) had a significantly increased 12-month mortality after adjusting for age, New York Heart Association class, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and creatinine (hazard ratio 1.5, 95% confidence interval 1.1-2.0, p = 0.01).

Conclusion: Anaemia is a frequent co-morbidity in patients with acute heart failure. Moderate to severe anaemia is an independent predictor of death in these patients.