title: Mild chronic anemia following heart transplantation: a syndrome with prognostic relevance?
abstract: The clinical relevance of mild chronic anemia in patients after heart transplantation (HTX) has not yet been demonstrated. Forty-five outpatients who had undergone HTX 2-99 months prior to investigation and who had not received blood transfusions or erythropoietin (EPO) before data acquisition were observed over a period of 37 months. Anemia was found in 36 of the 45 patients and was normocytic, normochromic, and slightly anisocytotic (coefficient of variation = 16 +/- 2, normal 11.5-14.5). Anemic patients showed elevated EPO levels, whereas in nonanemic patients EPO levels were normal. Survival after HTX differed significantly in anemic and nonanemic patients (P < 0.02), with 100% survival in the nonanemic and 85% in the anemic group. Chronic anemia in patients after HTX shows a typical pattern. Even when mild, anemia in patients after HTX seems to be of prognostic value and thus might be an indicator of chronic disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Karl-Franzens University of Graz, Medical School, Austria.
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Aigner
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Horina
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rehak
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lang
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Iberer
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wasler
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Petutschnigg
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Allmayer
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Grasser
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Prenner
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schaffellner
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Tscheliessnigg
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000740:Anemia / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004921:Erythropoietin / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000502:physiology; D006400:Hematocrit; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009017:Morbidity; D011379:Prognosis; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: D004921:Erythropoietin; D007501:Iron