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[Clinical and functional cardiac characteristics in iron-deficiency anemia]
Insights
Chronic iron deficiency anemia (IDA) significantly impacts heart health, leading to diastolic dysfunction in nearly all patients. Early detection of these cardiac changes is crucial for timely intervention and management.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Hematology
- Internal Medicine
Background:
- Chronic iron deficiency anemia (IDA) can lead to significant cardiac complications.
- Understanding the impact of long-term sideropenia on myocardial function is essential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To clinically and electrocardiographically characterize heart conditions in chronic IDA patients.
- To investigate hemodynamic mechanisms of heart impairment.
- To enable early detection of diastolic myocardial dysfunction in long-term sideropenia.
Main Methods:
- Clinical and ECG examinations in 400 IDA patients.
- Echocardiography and dopplerechocardiography in a subset of patients.
- Exclusion of patients with non-anemic cardiomyopathy.
Main Results:
- 100% of patients reported cardiac symptoms.
- 91.3% presented with mild chronic cardiac failure.
- Diastolic insufficiency of both ventricles was observed in almost all participants.
Conclusions:
- Long-term IDA causes metabolic and dystrophic myocardial alterations, manifesting as diastolic dysfunction.
- Diastolic dysfunction precedes systolic failure in IDA.
- Assessing cardiac diastolic function in IDA aids in early detection of heart failure requiring treatment.
Aim:
To characterize clinically and electrocardiographically the condition of the heart in chronic iron deficient anemia (IDA), to study hemodynamic mechanisms of heart impairment for early detection of diastolic myocardial dysfunction in long-term course of sideropenia.
Material And Methods:
Clinical and ECG examinations were made in 400 IDA patients. Echocardiography and dopplerechocardiography were made in 95 and 27 patients, respectively. Patients with non-anemic myocardiodystrophy were withdrawn. Mean age of the patients was 35.4 +/- 3.8 years, mean Hb level--79.5 +/- 6.5 g/l, mean anemia duration 6.9 +/- 4.2 years.
Results:
The severity of cardiac symptoms directly correlated with severity and duration of anemic sideropenic syndrome. 100% had heart complaints, 91.3% had mild chronic cardiac failure, 86.2% patients showed changes on the electrocardiogram. Diastolic insufficiency of both right and left ventricular myocardium was registered in almost all the examinees.
Conclusion:
Long-term anemia due to iron deficiency promotes metabolic and dystrophic alterations in the myocardium manifesting with diastolic dysfunction of both the ventricles prior to systolic failure. The study of cardiac diastolic function in IDA allows detection of early symptoms of cardiac failure which requires pharmacological correction.