Introduction: Iron deficiency (ID) is commonly asso-ciated with chronic heart failure (CHF), but its preva-lence may vary depending on the etiology of CHF. The serum ferritin (Fr) required for ID diagnosis is rarely dosed leading to DF subdiagnosis.
Scope: ID assessment by Fs and Fr levels in relation to ICC etiology and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF).
Material and method: 43 patients, 58.2% women, mean age 75±10 years, diagnosed with CHF and ID were evaluated. ID was considered at Fr <300 ng/ml. The control group (CG) consisted of 27 healthy volun-teers, gender and age matched.
Results: 21% of the patients had reduced EF, 42% inter-mediate and 37% preserved EF. In patients with CHF, Fs (75.7±45 vs 87±41 μg/dL, p=0.03) and Fr values (186.5±180 vs 194.4±80 ng/ml, p=0.03) were lower, 44% patients having ID. Fs was significantly lower in patients with severe valve disease (SVD) than other ae-tiologies (51.5 ± 26.9 vs 91.5 ± 47.8 mg / dl, p=0.001), especially in severe aortic stenosis (SAs) (p = 0.02). Fs correlated with severe mitral regurgitation (RMs) (r =0.5, p = 0.005).
Conclusions: ID significantly associated with RMs and SAs in CHF patients with preserved/intermedia-te LVEF. The results require validation through further studies enrolling a larger number of patients. Testing Fs and Fr in patients with SVD and CHF, and the cor-rection of ID could result in improvement of long-term functional capacity.