[Anemia in patients with chronic cardiac failure]

The number of patients with chronic cardiac failure (CCF) grows continuously in the last decades especially among aged subjects compared with younger ones. Mortality and hospitalization rates among elderly subjects are also higher Hence, the importance of early diagnosis and treatment of concomitant diseases aggravating CCF, e.g. anemia. Reduced hemoglobin level may cause progression of CCF and deteriorate its prognosis. Correction of anemia with stimulators of erythropoiesis (erythropoietin, intravenous iron preparations) may be a useful auxiliary therapy for patients refractory to standard treatment. Oral iron preparations do not produce the desirable effect whereas combination of intravenous iron and erythropoietin has been reported to increase ejection fraction, reduce requirements for high-dose diuretics and necessity of repeated hospitalization, improve renal function, and decreases left ventricular hypertrophy. In other words, correction of anemia has beneficial effect on the clinical course of CCF and improves its prognosis.