Cor Vasa 2004, 45(6):281-284
The relevance and management of anemia in chronic heart failure
- Klinika kardiologie, Institut klinické a experimentální medicíny, Praha, Česká republika
The author addresses the issue of anemia in chronic heart failure, a topic that has recently received increasing attention. Anemia is quite frequent, particularly in the more advanced stages of heart failure, and is also an independent predictor of a grim prognosis. Most patients develop chronic disease-related anemia-heart failure in this particular case-or dilution anemia in hypervolemia, which is often clinically not manifest. The question is whether or not anemia itself is involved pathogenetically in the progression of heart failure or whether it is just a marker of heart failure severity. Results emerging from initial small studies testing the administration of erythropoietin with iron suggest that treatment of anemia could have a beneficial effect on the progression of chronic heart failure.
Keywords: Heart failure; Anemia
Published: June 1, 2004 Show citation