Heart failure: iron deficiency often goes unnoticed

Christiane Fux studied journalism and psychology in Hamburg. The experienced medical editor has been writing magazine articles, news and factual texts on all conceivable health topics since 2001. In addition to her work for, Christiane Fux is also active in prose. Her first crime novel was published in 2012, and she also writes, designs and publishes her own crime plays.

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People with heart failure are severely limited in their performance. Your heart is no longer powerful enough to supply the body with sufficient oxygen and nutrients. If there is an iron deficiency, the condition worsens additionally - and unnecessarily. Nevertheless, the deficiency situation is overlooked in almost every second patient.

Stephan von Hähling from the University of Göttingen had compiled data from almost 1200 patients with chronic cardiac insufficiency at 42 cardiological practices. In 42.5 percent, the doctors uncovered a previously undetected iron deficiency. The researchers also found anemia (anemia) in almost one in five (18.9 percent). This had previously only been diagnosed in every 20th patient.

The scientists are now calling for the iron status of patients with heart failure to be routinely monitored and, if necessary, for iron supplements to be prescribed.

Paralyzed oxygen transport

A study published in the summer of last year made it clear why an iron deficiency has such a serious impact on people with heart failure (houseofgoldhealthproducts reported). It is obvious that the red blood cells play a role in this. These need iron to produce the red blood pigment hemoglobin, which in turn binds oxygen. Less iron, less oxygen, is the simple calculation.

Weakened cell power plants

But there is another reason for the drop in performance in the case of iron deficiency: the mitochondria, which sit as tiny energy power plants inside the body cells, also need the trace element. If they don't have enough iron, the mitochondria produce less energy. This is particularly noticeable in the heart muscle, which has to do heavy work.

Creeping shortness of breath

Heart failure usually develops slowly. The main causes are chronic high blood pressure, which puts stress on the heart, or coronary artery disease, in which the arteries that supply the heart muscle with blood become narrow. As cardiac insufficiency progresses, patients increasingly suffer from shortness of breath - only when they are exerted, later also when they are at rest.

Experts estimate that around one percent of the population in Germany suffers from cardiac insufficiency - that's around 800,000 people. It is one of the most common causes of death in this country. More women die from it than men.

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