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Heyde syndrome revisited: anaemia and aortic stenosis
Catherina Tjahjadi1, Yong Wee1, Karen Hay2
1Department of Cardiology, Prince Charles Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Insights
Patients with aortic stenosis (AS) have a higher prevalence of anemia compared to those undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). This finding suggests Heyde syndrome may be more common in AS patients than previously thought.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Hematology
Background:
- The link between anemia and aortic stenosis (AS) is known but poorly documented.
- Prevalence data for this association are scarce.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the prevalence of anemia in adults with AS against a control group undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).
Main Methods:
- Retrospective cohort study.
- Compared pre-procedural hemoglobin levels in 1537 adults undergoing aortic valve replacement (AVR) for AS with 8025 patients undergoing CABG.
- Hypothesized higher anemia prevalence in AS patients.
Main Results:
- Anemia prevalence was 30.1% in the AVR group versus 16.2% in the CABG group.
- Mean hemoglobin was lower in AVR patients (132 g/L) than CABG patients (138 g/L).
- Multivariable analysis showed significant variations in hemoglobin by treatment group, gender, and age.
Conclusions:
- Anemia is significantly more prevalent in patients with AS compared to a CABG cohort.
- This suggests Heyde syndrome may be more common than appreciated and warrants consideration in AS patients with anemia.
Background:
The association of anaemia with aortic stenosis (AS) has been recognised for over 50 years; however, although there have been several sporadic reports, there are few data on the prevalence of this syndrome.
Aims:
We sought to compare the prevalence of anaemia in adults with AS with that of controls who had undergone coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).
Methods:
We conducted a retrospective cohort study comparing pre-procedural levels of haemoglobin in 1537 adults who underwent aortic valve replacement (AVR) for AS with 8025 contemporaneous patients who had CABG. We hypothesised that the prevalence of anaemia in patients with AS would be significantly higher than in the control group.
Results:
A total of 30.1% in the AVR group was anaemic compared to 16.2% in the CABG group. The mean haemoglobin concentration measured across the whole population was significantly lower (132 g/L) in AVR patients than in those who underwent CABG (138 g/L). In a multivariable model, haemoglobin levels varied significantly by treatment group, gender and age. The adjusted marginal mean haemoglobin value was 135.6 g/L in AVR patients compared to 137.3 g/L in CABG patients.
Conclusions:
The prevalence of anaemia was significantly greater in patients with AS than in a contemporaneous cohort that underwent CABG. This may indicate that Heyde syndrome is more common than has been generally appreciated and should be considered in the evaluation of anaemia in patients with AS.
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