Related Experiment Videos
Anemia in heart failure: pathophysiologic insights and treatment options
John V Terrovitis1, Maria Anastasiou-Nana, Elissavet Kaldara
13rd Cardiology Department, University of Athens, School of Medicine, Athens, Greece. john.terrovitis@gmail.com
Abstract:
Anemia has been recognized as a very common and serious comorbidity in heart failure, with a prevalence ranging from 10 to 79%, depending on diagnostic definition, disease severity and patient characteristics. A clear association of anemia with worse prognosis has been confirmed in multiple heart failure trials. This finding has recently triggered intense scrutiny in order to identify the underlying pathophysiology and the best treatment options. Etiology is multifactorial, with iron deficiency and cytokine activation (anemia of chronic disease) playing the most important roles. Treatment is aimed at not only restoring hemoglobin values back to normal, but also at improving the patient's symptoms, functional capacity and hopefully the outcome. Iron supplementation and erythropoietin-stimulating agents have been used for this purpose, either alone or in combination. In this review, the recent advances in elucidating the mechanisms leading to anemia in the setting of heart failure are presented and the evidence supporting the use of different treatment approaches are discussed.
Related Concept Videos
Pathophysiology of Heart Failure
Heart Failure II: Pathophysiology
Heart Failure VII: Nursing Interventions
Heart Failure VI: Adjunct Therapies
Heart Failure V: Medical Management
Heart Failure I: Introduction