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September 11, 2025CureusOpen Access

Functional iron deficiency in hospitalized heart failure patients was not associated with a statistically significant difference in major adverse cardiovascular events compared to normal iron levels (36.5% vs 24.3%, p=0.354).

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Why the study?

Iron deficiency is common in heart failure, but most studies have focused on low ferritin levels, leaving the relevance and impact of functional iron deficiency in hospitalized patients unclear.

Does functional iron deficiency worsen short-term clinical outcomes in hospitalized patients with heart failure compared to normal iron levels?

Population

53 hospitalized HF patients with normal hemoglobin

Comparison

Absolute iron deficiency vs functional iron deficiency

Design

Single-center observational study

Follow-up

One-year

Key result

Functional iron deficiency in hospitalized heart failure patients was not associated with a statistically significant difference in major adverse cardiovascular events compared to normal iron levels (36.5% vs 24.3%, p=0.354).

Authors

RTRavi Sankar TulluruASAbraham Speedie

Discussion

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Member takes

Overview

No MACE difference by iron status in this HF cohort; leaves open prognostic role of functional iron deficiency.

Study Design

Type

Observational (n=96)

Multicenter

No

Structured PICO

Does functional iron deficiency worsen short-term clinical outcomes in hospitalized patients with heart failure compared to normal iron levels?

P
Population
96 hospitalized adults with heart failure, including 53 with functional iron deficiency and 43 with normal iron profiles, evaluated for short-term clinical outcomes over 6 months.
E
Exposure
Functional iron deficiency (defined as normal serum ferritin 100-300 mg/L with low transferrin saturation <20%).
C
Comparator
Normal iron levels.
O
Outcome
Composite of major adverse cardiovascular events (nonfatal stroke, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or cardiovascular death) and unexpected prolonged hospitalization (>14 days) related to HF, as well as NYHA functional class at follow-up.composite

Main Result

Absolute Event Rate: 36.5% vs 24.3%

p-value: p=0.354

Limitations

  • Retrospective design
  • Small sample size
  • Limited follow-up with nearly one-third of patients lost to follow-up
  • Treatment bias due to lack of uniform IV iron protocol
  • Lack of multivariate adjustment for key confounders
  • IV iron therapy administered at physician discretion without a uniform protocol
  • Univariate comparisons without multivariate adjustment for key confounders

Cite This Study

Tulluru et al. (2025) conducted an observational in Heart Failure (n=96). Functional iron deficiency vs. Normal iron levels was evaluated on Major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) (p=0.354). Functional iron deficiency in hospitalized heart failure patients was not associated with a statistically significant difference in major adverse cardiovascular events compared to normal iron levels (36.5% vs 24.3%, p=0.354).

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a7d8caaac8a0219183c9085https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.92074
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