Prevalence of iron deficiency in non-anemic heart failure patients

Background: To study the prevalence of iron deficiency in non-anemic heart failure patients. Materials and methods: This is a single-center cross-sectional study done in the Department of General Medicine at the Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital, Odisha, between November 2020 and June 2022. The selection of participants was made based on Framingham criteria. An iron profile was used to detect iron deficiency anemia during the study period. According to the WHO, Anemia is defined as having a hemoglobin (Hb) level below 12 gm/dL in females and 13 gm/dL in males. Serum ferritin below 100 ng/mL is considered an absolute iron deficiency, and serum ferritin between 100 and 300 ng/mL with low transferrin saturation (TSAT <20%) is regarded as functional Iron deficiency. Results: A total of 100 individuals with non-anemic heart failure (53% men and 47% women) were included in the study. Most of the individuals were of class IV New York Heart Association (NYHA) (N=39). Iron deficiency was present in 60% of individuals, with 32% having absolute iron deficiency and 28% having functional iron deficiency. Men and women had almost the same prevalence of iron deficiency (62.2% vs 57.44%). The levels of mean Hb, ferritin, and transferrin saturation in the iron deficiency group (i.e., 13.2 gm/dL, 139.7 ng/mL, and 14.4%) were less when compared to the non-iron deficiency group (i.e., 13.3 gm/dL, 391.35 ng/mL and 36.1%). Conclusion: Our research emphasizes the impact of iron deficiency on heart failure patients in India, which is still underappreciated and ignored. This study recommends more in-depth analysis to define this manageable illness correctly and explore habitual testing in upcoming national recommendations.