Anemia and Iron Deficiency — New Therapeutic Targets in Heart Failure?

Anemia ranges in prevalence from below 10% among patients with mild heart failure symptoms to over 40% for patients with advanced disease. 1 Its prevalence is similar among patients who have systolic dysfunction and among patients who have heart failure with preserved systolic function. 2 , 3 Anemia has been associated with older age, diabetes mellitus, chronic renal dysfunction, more advanced heart failure symptoms, lower peak exercise capacity, and worse health-related quality-of-life metrics. 3 Anemia has also been shown to be a powerful predictor of rehospitalization rates and survival in chronic heart failure. A complex interaction between impaired cardiac performance, activation of neurohormonal and . . .