Anemia, physical disability, and survival in older patients with heart failure.

BACKGROUND: Anemia is common in congestive heart failure, and it has been associated with poor prognosis. The effect of anemia on functional ability in heart failure has not been described. We evaluated the relationship of anemia, physical disability, and survival in patients with heart failure.

METHODS AND RESULTS: One-year longitudinal study of 567 non-disabled, hospitalized heart failure patients, age > or = 65 years, enrolled in the Italian Group of Pharmacoepidemiology in the Elderly Study. Anemia was defined according to the World Health Organization criteria. Physical disability was defined as dependence in performing at least 2 basic activities of daily living. After adjustment for disease severity and health-related variables, anemia was associated with higher risk of disability (odds ratio = 2.17; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.12-4.24). After stratification according to gender, a strong relationship of anemia and risk of disability persisted in women, but it was reduced in men. Anemic women were significantly more likely to die during the follow-up, even after adjustment for potential confounders (hazard ratio = 2.33; CI = 1.02-5.30).

CONCLUSION: Anemia is a predictor of physical disability in older heart failure patients, and in women anemia is associated with increased mortality.