Understanding Iron Deficiency in Heart Failure: Clinical Significance and Management

Iron deficiency (ID) has been increasingly recognized as an important co-morbidity associated with heart failure (HF). ID significantly impairs exercise tolerance and is an independent predictor of poor outcomes in people with HF irrespective of their anemic status. Diagnosis of ID in people with HF is often missed and therefore routine screening for ID is necessary for these patients. IV iron repletion has been recommended in HF treatment guidelines to improve symptoms and exercise capacity. People with ID and HF who are treated with IV iron have an improved quality of life, better 6-minute walk test results and New York Heart Association functional class. The effect of iron therapy on re-hospitalization and mortality rates in people with HF remains unclear. Large-dose oral iron treatment has been found to be ineffective in improving symptoms in people with HF. This review summarizes the current knowledge on prevalence, clinical relevance, and the molecular mechanism of ID in patients with chronic HF and the available evidence for the use of parenteral iron therapy.