Pharmacy Clinical Pearl of the Day: Iron Deficiency, Anemia in Heart Failure Patients

Clinical Pearl of the Day:

• Patients with heart failure patients must be evaluated and treated for Iron deficiency and anemia.
• Prevalence over 50% in ambulatory patients.
• Iron deficiency in heart failure is defined as: ferritin < 100 µg/L or ferritin of 100-299 µg/L with a transferrin saturation <20%.

Explanation:

Iron deficiency:

• Should be screened and treated for patients with heart failure.
• Heart failure outcomes improve as iron levels improve.
• Intravenous iron replacement is needed because oral iron replacement trials do not show benefits.
• Risk factors for iron deficiency include female sex, advanced heart failure, higher levels of NTpro BNP and C reactive protein.

Reference

• Anemia and Iron Deficiency in Heart Failure | Circulation (ahajournals.org)
• Iron Deficiency in Heart Failure - American College of Cardiology (acc.org)