The prognostic value of anemia in patients with diastolic heart failure.
Anemia is prevalent in heart-failure patients, and it has been associated with increased mortality rates. In a retrospective study, we evaluated the effects of anemia on long-term survival in patients who experienced purely diastolic heart failure.Heart-failure patients with preserved systolic function (left ventricular ejection fraction, > or =0.50) were evaluated retrospectively. Of 294 patients, 162 had anemia (group 1) and 132 had no anemia (group 2) upon baseline examination. Anemia was defined as a hemoglobin level below 12 g/dL in women and below 13 g/dL in men. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression was conducted in order to test whether hemoglobin levels were an independent predictor of 5-year hospitalization and mortality rates in patients with diastolic heart failure. A P value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.Group 1 patients had a shorter mean survival time (37.8 +/- 1.8 vs 44.9 +/- 1.8 mo, P = 0.01); however, there was no significant difference between the groups in hospitalization rate (7.2 +/- 7.1 vs 7.5 +/- 6.3, P = 0.677). In a subgroup analysis, anemia was a significant predictor of higher mortality rates in elderly patients (age, >75 yr) who had diastolic heart failure (P = 0.018).We found that anemia is associated with increased long-term mortality rates in patients who have diastolic heart failure. In addition, anemia appears to be an independent predictor of worse outcomes in elderly heart-failure patients.
Tehrani
Faramarz
F
Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California 90048, USA.
Phan
Anita
A
Morrissey
Ryan
R
Chien
Christopher
C
Rafique
Asim
A
Schwarz
Ernst R
ER
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000740:Anemia / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology* / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D054144:Heart Failure, Diastolic / Q000150:complications* / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000378:metabolism; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D013318:Stroke Volume; D013997:Time Factors; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left
D006454:Hemoglobins