Iron deficiency in a multi-ethnic Asian population with and without heart failure: prevalence, clinical correlates, functional significance and prognosis

Aims Current heart failure (HF) guidelines highlight the importance of iron deficiency (ID) in HF. Whether HF itself or age‐related comorbidities contribute to ID is uncertain, and previous data were limited to Western populations. We aimed to study the prevalence, clinical correlates, functional significance and prognosis of ID in HF patients, compared with community‐based controls in a multi‐ethnic Southeast Asian population. Methods and results Iron status was assessed in 751 HF patients (age 62.0 ± 12.2 years, 75.5% men, 64.7% Chinese, 23.9% Malay, 10.2% Indian) and 601 controls (age 56.9 ± 10.4 years, 49.8% men, 70.9% Chinese, 21.5% Malay, 7.2% Indian). ID, defined as ferritin