Iron and cardiovascular health: A review.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to evaluate the role of iron in cardiovascular function, particularly in heart failure (HF), and assess the efficacy of intravenous iron therapy in improving outcomes for HF patients with iron deficiency.
Results Summary
The study found that intravenous iron therapy (ferric carboxymaltose or ferric derisomaltose) reduced hospitalizations and improved quality of life in HF patients with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), but did not improve survival or mortality during acute HF exacerbations or outpatient management.
Population
Patients with heart failure (HF), specifically those with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and New York Heart Association (NYHA) class II-III.
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
Not specified
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
- | decrease | cardiovascular function | patients with heart failure (HF) | - | have negative impact | #1 |
iron deficiency (ID) | decrease | contractility of human cardiomyocytes | - | - | impaired | #2 |
iron deficiency (ID) | decrease | mitochondrial function | - | - | reduced | #3 |
iron deficiency (ID) | decrease | energy production | - | - | lower | #4 |
iron deficiency (ID) | decrease | cardiac function impairment | - | - | leading to | #5 |
Intravenous (IV) iron therapy | increase | treating ID | HF patients | - | has shown promising results | #6 |
IV iron supplementation with IV ferric carboxymaltose or IV ferric derisomaltose | decrease | hospitalizations | patients with Heart Failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), New York Heart Association (NYHA) II-III | - | demonstrated the efficacy in reducing | #7 |
IV iron supplementation with IV ferric carboxymaltose or IV ferric derisomaltose | increase | quality of life | patients with Heart Failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), New York Heart Association (NYHA) II-III | - | demonstrated the efficacy in improving | #8 |
IV iron supplementation | no change | survival and mortality | patients during acute exacerbations of HF or in outpatient management | - | have demonstrated no improvement | #9 |
Iron is an essential element for the biological processes of living organisms, including the production of crucial oxygen-carrying proteins, formation of heme enzymes, and playing roles in electron transfer and oxidation-reduction reactions. It plays a significant role in various cardiovascular functions, including bioenergetics, electrical activity, and programmed cell death. Minor deficiencies of iron have been found to have negative impact on cardiovascular function in patients with heart failure (HF). The contractility of human cardiomyocytes is impaired by iron deficiency (ID), which results in reduced mitochondrial function and lower energy production, ultimately leading to cardiac function impairment, contributing to significant morbidity and mortality in patients with HF. This review discusses iron homeostasis within the human body, as well as ID pathophysiology and its role in HF. Focusing on therapeutic approaches including iron supplementation and/or repletion in patients with ID and HF, comparing results from recent clinical trials. Intravenous (IV) iron therapy has shown promising results in treating ID in HF patients. Large, randomized trials and meta-analysis, like Ferinject Assessment in patients with ID and chronic HF, AFFIRM-AHF, IRONMAN, and HEART-FID have demonstrated the efficacy of IV iron supplementation with IV ferric carboxymaltose or IV ferric derisomaltose in reducing hospitalizations and improving quality of life in patients with Heart Failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), New York Heart Association (NYHA) II-III. However, survival and mortality have demonstrated no improvement during acute exacerbations of HF or in outpatient management. The potential benefits of IV iron across the entire HF spectrum and its interaction with other HF therapies remain areas of interest for further research.