Intravenous iron therapy and circulating biomarkers of inflammation in men with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction

Abstract Background Large randomized clinical trials have demonstrated that intravenous (IV) iron therapy in iron-deficient patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) brings clinical benefits related to symptoms of the disease and exercise capacity. Mechanisms underlying beneficial effects of such repletion are still the subject of interest as this is not solely related to improved haematopoiesis (IV iron works also in non-anaemic subjects). In patients with chronic heart failure iron deficiency (ID) is linked with inflammatory processess but data regarding the impact of IV iron on inflammation is scarce. Purposes We evaluated whether IV iron therapy affects circulating biomarkers of pro-inflammatory state in men with HFrEF and concomitant ID. Methods This is the sub-analysis of the study to investigate the effects of IV ferric carboxymaltose (FCM) on the functioning of skeletal muscles in men with HFrEF. For the purposes of current research we analyzed data of 20 men with HFrEF (median age 68 (62, 75 – in brackets interquartile ranges, respectively) years, LVEF: 30 (25, 35) %, ischaemic HF aetiology: 85%, NYHA class I/II/III: 30%/50%/20%) and ID (definition according to ESC guidelines - ferritin 0.22). Change from week 0 to week 24 adjusted for baseline value (delta W24-W0 as the percentage of W0) regarding IL-22 was