Iron and cardiovascular health: A review

Abstract

Iron is an essential element for the biological processes of living organisms, including the production of crucial oxygen-carrying proteins, formation of heme enzymes, and playing roles in electron transfer and oxidation-reduction reactions. It plays a significant role in various cardiovascular functions, including bioenergetics, electrical activity, and programmed cell death. Minor deficiencies of iron have been found to have negative impact on cardiovascular function in patients with heart failure (HF). The contractility of human cardiomyocytes is impaired by iron deficiency (ID), which results in reduced mitochondrial function and lower energy production, ultimately leading to cardiac function impairment, contributing to significant morbidity and mortality in patients with HF. This review discusses iron homeostasis within the human body, as well as ID pathophysiology and its role in HF. Focusing on therapeutic approaches including iron supplementation and/or repletion in patients with ID and HF, comparing results from recent clinical trials. Intravenous (IV) iron therapy has shown promising results in treating ID in HF patients. Large, randomized trials and meta-analysis, like Ferinject Assessment in patients with ID and chronic HF, AFFIRM-AHF, IRONMAN, and HEART-FID have demonstrated the efficacy of IV iron supplementation with IV ferric carboxymaltose or IV ferric derisomaltose in reducing hospitalizations and improving quality of life in patients with Heart Failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), New York Heart Association (NYHA) II-III. However, survival and mortality have demonstrated no improvement during acute exacerbations of HF or in outpatient management. The potential benefits of IV iron across the entire HF spectrum and its interaction with other HF therapies remain areas of interest for further research.

Keywords: Heart failure; cardiovascular diseases; iron; iron metabolism disorders.