Iron deficiency is highly prevalent among patients with chronic heart failure (up to 50% of cases) and is associated with more admissions and higher mortality. This is explained by the key role iron plays in the mitochondrial respiratory chain, which is essential for the proper function of the cardiomyocyte, the heart muscle cells capable of spontaneous and individual contraction.
“Clinical practice guidelines recommend a proactive strategy in the diagnosis and treatment of this condition,” explained HUB cardiologist Pedro Moliner. The article published in the scientific journal Nature Reviews Cardiology reviews the main clinical trials. In brief, they have shown that intravenous iron administration improves quality of life and prognosis in patients with heart failure and ventricular dysfunction.
Ongoing studies will show whether this benefit also holds in other forms of heart failure, for example in patients with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF).
Reference Article
Moliner, P., Comin-Colet, J., 2022. Iron deficiency and supplementation therapy in heart failure. Nature Reviews Cardiology. DOI: 10.1038/s41569-022-00747-0