Title : Iron deficiency in chronic heart failure patients at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia
Abstract:
Iron plays a key role in oxygen uptake, transport, storage, and oxidative metabolism in the muscle including myocardium. Iron deficiency (ID) in chronic heart failure (CHF) patients has a mortality of 35% is reported at the university teaching hospital (UTH). Information on ID in CHF patients at UTH is scarce and conflicting. The purpose of this study was to determine the iron status in CHF patients at UTH in Lusaka.
Methodology: CHF patients of New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class II to IV participated in this cross sectional study. Interviews and file reviews were used to collect demographic data. ID was defined as transferrin saturation of less than 20% and ferritin concentration of less than 100μg/L. A statistical significance of P < 0.05 was used at 95% confidence interval. The data obtained were analyzed using STATA version thirteen and the chi-square test/fisher’s exact test and multivariate binary logistic regression were used to analyze the results.
Findings: The prevalence of ID in CHF patients was 55%. Out of 40 patients 55% had relative iron deficiency while 20% had absolute iron deficiency. Both HFrEF and HFpEF patients had ID, but ID was more prevalent among patients with HFpEF.
Conclusion & Significance: ID was present in a significant proportion of adult patients with CHF at UTH, reflecting the increased morbidity encountered by this population. It is certainly plausible that ID may play a role in the pathogenesis and prognosis of HFpEF just like in HFrEF hence screening for ID in CHF patients should be done in order to improve patient quality of life.
