Abstract

ACLE, Santiago; ORMAECHEA, Gabriela  and  ALVAREZ, Pablo. Cardio-renal-anaemia syndrome in systolic heart failure. Arch. Med Int [online]. 2014, vol.36, n. 3, pp.95-100. ISSN 0250-3816.

Abstract: Introduction: The recently proposed term of cardio-renal-anemia syndrome (CRAS) stands for the association of heart failure (HF), renal dysfunction and anemia. Both renal failure and anemia are well recognized risk factors for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in patients with HF. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of CRAS and assess the association between anemia and renal dysfunction in ambulatory systolic HF patients. Methods: 339 patients from a Multidisciplinary Heart Failure Unit enrolled in this observational cross-sectional study. Inclusion criteria were to have systolic HF in stable condition in the absence of acute renal failure. Systolic HF was defined by a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) < 40%. Renal function was evaluated though the glomerular filtration rate estimation according to the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) study equation. Renal failure (RF) was defined by the presence of a glomerular filtration rate (GFR) < 60 ml/min/1.73 m2. Results: The mean age of the patients was 63.2. A 70.5% of the total were male. The 34.8% of patients suffered from moderate to severe RF or renal failure, and 26.5% had anemia. The mean age was superior in the RF group (mean 65.7) in comparison with the group without RF (mean 61.0) (p = 0.006). A 27.1% of the RF group had a III-IV NYHA functional class (FC) in comparison with 12.2% of the patients with normal renal function (p < 0.0001). Among RF patients, 42.8% had anemia in comparison with 18.1 % in the group with GFR > 60 ml/min/1.73 m2 (p < 0.0001). A great increase of anemia was observed in patients below 30 ml/min of GFR (p < 0.001). The prevalence of CRAS was 14.7% and it presence was associated with more advanced FC (p < 0.0001) and less LVEF (p = 0.042). Conclusions: In view of the high prevalence of concomitant RF and anemia in patients with heart failure, exploration and early diagnosis of them is essential.

Keywords : Cardiorenal Anemia Syndrome; Systolic Heart Failure; Renal Failure.