There are around 6.5 million people with chronic heart failure in Europe and around 5 million in the USA.1
Your risks of having heart failure increase with age, and in particular increase when you are more than 75 years old.1,2
About 50% of heart failure patients have some form of iron deficiency, with and without anaemia.3,4

 

Understanding chronic heart failure

The heart is the muscle at the center of your circulation system, pumping blood around your body as your heart beats. It has four main functions:

  • Pumping oxygenated blood to the other parts of the body.
  • Pumping hormones and other vital substances to different parts of the body.
  • Receiving deoxygenated blood and carrying metabolic waste products from the body and pumping it to the lungs for oxygenation.
  • Maintaining blood pressure.
Understanding chronic heart failure

Heart failure is a term used to describe a heart that cannot keep up with its workload.

Heart failure is a term used to describe a heart that cannot keep up with its workload.

This could happen when a heart has become larger or thicker and as a result, isn't able to squeeze or relax properly. Heart failure is not a single pathological diagnosis, but a clinical syndrome consisting of cardinal symptoms (e.g. breathlessness, ankle swelling, and fatigue) that may be accompanied by signs (e.g. elevated jugular venous pressure, pulmonary crackles, and peripheral oedema). It is due to a structural and / or functional abnormality of the heart that results in elevated intracardiac pressures and / or inadequate cardiac output at rest and/or during exercise5.

How frequent is heart failure?

As stated in the European Society of Cardiology 2021 guidelines, in developed countries, the age-adjusted incidence of heart failure may be falling, presumably reflecting better management of cardiovascular disease, but due to ageing, the overall incidence is increasing. Currently, the incidence of heart failure (HF) in Europe is about 3/1000 person-years (all age-groups) or about 5/1000 person-years in adults5.

The prevalence of heart failure is approximately 1–2% of the adult population in developed countries, rising to more than 10% among people over 70 years of age. As studies only usually include recognized / diagnosed HF cases, the true prevalence is likely to  be higher5.

What are the common causes of heart failure?

There are several potential causes of heart failure, all of which have the common thread of weakening the heart. Heart failure can be caused by cardiovascular issues such as heart attack, coronary artery disease (damage to the inside of the blood vessels of the heart), and hypertension (high blood pressure), as well as other diseases and conditions, such as diabetes and obesity.

Lifestyle factors, such as smoking and lack of activity, play a significant role, as they are often what give way to some of these concerns. A genetic condition, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, is a fairly common cause as well6.

  • Genetics
  • Obesity
  • Inactivity
  • Heart attack
  • Coronary artery disease
  • Somking
  • Hypertension

What are the common symptoms of heart failure?

The strain on the heart muscles over a long period of time hampers efficient blood flow to the point that there's a buildup of fluid in the heart and lungs, and eventually, excess fluid in the extremities. Symptoms include7:

  • Breathless when waking during the night or upon activity 
  • Extreme fatigue and lethargy
  • Swelling in feet, ankles, legs, or tummy
  • Rapid weight gain
What are the common symptoms of heart failure?

Explaining the impact of iron deficiency

Iron deficiency, which can be present independently of anaemia, is present in up to 55% of patients with chronic HF 5. It may be caused by increased loss, reduced intake or absorption (e.g. malnutrition, gut congestion) and/or impaired iron metabolism caused by the chronic inflammatory activation of heart failure, although the exact cause of iron deficiency in heart failure remains unknown.5 Iron deficiency may impair functional capacity, precipitate circulatory decompensation, promote skeletal muscle dysfunction, and is associated with frailty, irrespective of anaemia5.

In patients with heart failure, iron deficiency is associated with reduced exercise capacity, poor quality of life, risk of hospitalisation, increased all-cause and cardiovascular (CV) mortality, and increased costs8. Patients with heart failure should be regularly screened for iron deficiency and anaemia by their doctor.

  • Reduced exercise capacity
  • Poor Quality of Life
  • Increased risk of hospitalisation
  • Increased all-cause and CV mortality
  • Increased costs
Title

Talk to your doctor

If you have heart failure, you are at risk of iron deficiency. If you have been feeling fatigued or think you may have any of the symptoms of iron deficiency such as paleness, faintness or a racing heart, you may want to speak to your doctor about your symptoms..

Talk to your doctor

Talk to your doctor

Why are you at risk

Why are you at risk

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References

Why are you at risk? Why are you at risk?
Why are you at risk?

Heart failure means that your heart has been weakened or damaged and can no longer pump all the blood that you need around your body.
 

Warning signs Warning signs
Warning signs

Your chronic heart failure may mean you feel exhausted and get out of breath more easily than you used to. These symptoms may be partly due to iron deficiency.
 

Talk to your doctor Talk to your doctor
Talk to your doctor

If you have been diagnosed with chronic heart failure you will probably have follow-up appointments with your doctor to check how you are getting on with your heart medication. You can use this opportunity to discuss any other symptoms you are experiencing, or make an extra appointment so that you and your doctor have plenty of time. To help you remember everything you wanted to ask, make notes beforehand. That way you will have all the information the doctor might need. Your iron levels can be checked by a blood test – follow the link to find out more about the blood tests and what the results mean.
 

Treatment options Treatment options
Treatment options

Once your doctor has tested your iron levels they can decide which treatment is best for you. This will depend on the level of iron deficiency you have, and could be advice on how to get more iron in your diet and/or recommendations for medication that you can take to improve your iron levels. More information on the different treatment options and how to get the most iron from your diet can be found by following the link.
 

Why are you at risk?

Heart failure means that your heart has been weakened or damaged and can no longer pump all the blood that you need around your body.
 

Warning signs

Your chronic heart failure may mean you feel exhausted and get out of breath more easily than you used to. These symptoms may be partly due to iron deficiency.
 

Talk to your doctor

If you have been diagnosed with chronic heart failure you will probably have follow-up appointments with your doctor to check how you are getting on with your heart medication. You can use this opportunity to discuss any other symptoms you are experiencing, or make an extra appointment so that you and your doctor have plenty of time. To help you remember everything you wanted to ask, make notes beforehand. That way you will have all the information the doctor might need. Your iron levels can be checked by a blood test – follow the link to find out more about the blood tests and what the results mean.
 

Treatment options

Once your doctor has tested your iron levels they can decide which treatment is best for you. This will depend on the level of iron deficiency you have, and could be advice on how to get more iron in your diet and/or recommendations for medication that you can take to improve your iron levels. More information on the different treatment options and how to get the most iron from your diet can be found by following the link.