The effect of anemia on mortality in indigent patients with mild-to-moderate chronic heart failure.

Anemia has been described as an independent predictor of death in patients with chronic heart failure. Little is known, however, about the significance of anemia in heart failure patients with severely depressed socioeconomic backgrounds who receive comprehensive care in a heart failure management program. The impact of anemia on mortality was investigated in 410 indigent chronic heart failure patients, the majority of whom were in New York Heart Association functional class I-III and were treated with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers and beta blockers at maximally tolerated doses. Anemia was present in 28% of patients. In an adjusted Cox analysis, anemia was strongly associated with mortality, but only in men: hazard ratio, 2.54; 95% confidence interval, 1.31-4.93; p = 0.006. The investigators conclude that anemia in this population is common and that, for men, the relative risk increase associated with anemia is high.