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Review
. 2013 Jul;101(1):87-92.
doi: 10.5935/abc.20130126.

Anemia, heart failure and evidence-based clinical management

[Article in English, Portuguese]
Camila Alves Pereira  1 , Meliza Goi Roscani, Silméia Garcia Zanati, Beatriz Bojikian Matsubara
Affiliations
Review

Anemia, heart failure and evidence-based clinical management

[Article in English, Portuguese]
Camila Alves Pereira et al. Arq Bras Cardiol. 2013 Jul.

Abstract

Anemia is a prevalent comorbidity and marker of a poorer prognosis in patients with heart failure (HF). Its clinical relevance, as well as its pathophysiology and the clinical management of these patients are important subjects in the specialized literature. In the present review, we describe the current concepts on the pathophysiology of anemia in HF, its diagnostic criteria, and the recommendations for iron supplementation. Also, we make a critical analysis of the major studies showing evidences on the benefits of this supplementation. The four main components of anemia are addressed: chronic disease, dilutional, "renal" and malabsorption. In patients with HF, the diagnostic criteria are the same as those used in the general population: serum ferritin levels lower than 30 mcg/L in patients without kidney diseases and lower than 100 mcg/L or serum ferritin levels between 100-299 mcg/L with transferring saturation lower than 20% in patients with chronic kidney diseases. Finally, the therapeutic possibilities for anemia in this specific patient population are discussed.

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Conflict of interest statement

Potential Conflict of Interest: No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Main mechanisms of the pathophysiology of anemia in HF.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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