Anemia and chronic kidney disease are associated with poor outcomes in heart failure patients

• Main Authors: Burnier Michel, Flanders W Dana, Luthi Jean-Christophe, Burnand Bernard, McClellan William M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2006-03-01
• Series: BMC Nephrology
• Online Access: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2369/7/3

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Chronic kidney disease (CKD) has been linked to higher heart failure (HF) risk. Anemia is a common consequence of CKD, and recent evidence suggests that anemia is a risk factor for HF. The purpose of this study was to examine among patients with HF, the association between CKD, anemia and inhospital mortality and early readmission.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We performed a retrospective cohort study in two Swiss university hospitals. Subjects were selected based the presence of ICD-10 HF codes in 1999. We recorded demographic characteristics and risk factors for HF. CKD was defined as a serum creatinine ≥ 124 956;mol/L for women and ≥ 133 μmol/L for men. The main outcome measures were inhospital mortality and thirty-day readmissions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Among 955 eligible patients hospitalized with heart failure, 23.0% had CKD. Twenty percent and 6.1% of individuals with and without CKD, respectively, died at the hospital (p < 0.0001). Overall, after adjustment for other patient factors, creatinine and hemoglobin were associated with an increased risk of death at the hospital, and hemoglobin was related to early readmission.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Both CKD and anemia are frequent among older patients with heart failure and are predictors of adverse outcomes, independent of other known risk factors for heart failure.</p>