Prevalence of anaemia among patients with heart failure at the Brazzaville University Hospital

Relationship between active Helicobacter pylori infection and anemia, iron deficiency, iron deficiency anemia: A cross‐sectional study in a sub‐Saharan setting

Background and Aim

There have been contradictory reports about the association between Helicobacter pylori infection and iron deficiency anemia (IDA). Based on the high frequency of H. pylori infection in Cameroon, we have evaluated the frequency of H. pylori infection as the cause of anemia, and IDA among dyspeptic patients in Cameroon.

Methods

This cross‐sectional study enrolled 842 dyspeptic patients (472 women and 370 men) in two reference hospitals in Douala‐Cameroon. Each participant gave a written consent, and the study was approved by the National Ethical Committee. Erythroid‐related indices and markers of iron deficiency (ID) measurement were done for each participant as well as H. pylori detection. Data were analyzed using SSPS statistical package.

Results

The prevalence of anemia, ID, IDA, and H. pylori infection was 65.08%, 31.47%, 25.65%, and 80.88%, respectively. H. pylori infected individuals had a significantly lower mean value of hemoglobin (P = 0.01), hematocrit (P = 0.04), ferritin (P = 0.03) and coefficient of transferrin saturation (CTS) levels (P = 0.04) and a significantly higher mean value of mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) (P = 0.02). Compared with H. pylori non‐infected participants, H. pylori infected patients were 1.2938 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.9087–1.8421), 1.1851 (95% CI: 0.8122–1.7292), and 1.5636 (95% CI: 1.0206–2.3953) times at higher risk to develop anemia, ID, and IDA, respectively. A significant relationship was found between H. pylori infection and IDA (P = 0.04 and 0.04 for crude and age/sex‐adjusted, respectively).

Conclusion

H. pylori infection seems to be associated with anemia, and IDA among dyspeptic patients in our milieu.

The Prognostic Significance of Anemia in Patients With Heart Failure: A Meta-Analysis of Studies From the Last Decade

Background: Anemia is a commonly occurring comorbidity in patients with heart failure (HF). Although there are a few reports of a higher prevalence of mortality and hospitalization-related outcomes due to accompanying anemia, other studies suggest that anemia does not have an adverse impact on the prognostic outcomes of HF. Two meta-analyses in the past decade had reported the adverse impact of anemia on both mortality and hospitalization- related outcomes. However, only one of these studies had evaluated the outcome while using multivariable adjusted hazard ratios. Moreover, several studies since then reported the prognostic influence of anemia in HF. In this present study, we evaluate the prognostic impact of anemia on mortality and hospitalization outcomes in patients with HF.

Methods: We carried out a systematic search of the academic literature in the scientific databases EMBASE, CENTRAL, Scopus, PubMed, Cochrane, ISI Web of Science, clinicaltrial.gov, and MEDLINE based on the PRISMA guidelines. Meta-analysis was then performed to evaluate the effect (presented as risk ratio) of anemia on the overall mortality and hospitalization outcome in patients with HF.

Results: Out of 1,397 studies, 11 eligible studies were included with a total of 53,502 (20,615 Female, 32,887 Male) HF patients (mean age: 71.6 ± 8.3-years, Hemoglobin: 11.9 ± 1.5 g/dL). Among them, 19,794 patients suffered from anemia (Hb: 10.5 ± 1.6), and 33,708 patients did not have anemia (Hb: 13.2 ± 1.7 g/dL). A meta-analysis revealed a high-odds ratio (OR) for the overall mortality in patients with anemia (OR: 1.43, 95% CI: 1.29–1.84). A high-risk ratio was also reported for hospitalization as the outcome in patients with anemia (1.22, 1.0–1.58).

Conclusion: This systematic review and meta-analysis provide evidence of the high risk of mortality and hospitalization-related outcomes in patients with HF and anemia. The study confirms the findings of previously published meta-analyses suggesting anemia as an important and independent risk factor delineating the prognostic outcome of chronic HF.

[Epidemioclinical and evolutionary profile of dilated cardiomyopathies at the University Hospital in Brazzaville, Congo]

L'objectif de cette étude est de contribuer à l'amélioration de la prise en charge des patients porteurs de cardiomyopathies dilatées (CMD) à Brazzaville. Cette étude, prospective et analytique, a été réalisée au CHU de Brazzaville entre le 1^er Janvier 2014 et le 30 Juin 2015. Elle a inclus les patients hospitalisés dans le service de cardiologie pour une insuffisance cardiaque (IC) en rapport avec une CMD. L'étude a porté sur 100 patients. La fréquence hospitalière de la CMD était de 32,1%. Il s'agissait de 38 hommes (38%) et 62 femmes (62%), âgés en moyenne de 52,9 ± 17,1 ans. L'IC était globale dans 72 cas (72%). L'ECG s'inscrivait en rythme sinusal (95%), et objectivait une hypertrophie ventriculaire gauche (40%), un bloc de branche gauche (16%), et une fibrillation auriculaire (5%). La fraction d'éjection du ventricule gauche (VG) était en moyenne de 33,4 ± 6,8%, et le diamètre télédiastolique du VG de 65,5 ± 7,0 mm. Le traitement comportait un diurétique de l'anse (100%), un IEC/ARA2 (100%), un bêtabloquant (38%), un digitalique (30%), un anti-aldostérone (16%), et un anti-vitamine K (11%). Au terme d'un suivi de 12 mois, le taux de létalité globale était de 9%, le taux de réhospitalisation de 12%, et le taux de perdus de vue de 41%. Cette étude a montré que la CMD est une affection fréquente, et une des principales causes d'insuffisance cardiaque. La durée de suivi brève et le nombre important de perdus de vue ne permettent pas d'en évaluer la survie dans notre contexte.

Prevalence of Erythrocyte Changes in Patients with Heart Failure

Heart failure (HF) is one of the most common causes of hospitalization in patients over the age of 65. Purpose The objective of our study was to assess the prevalence of anemia and characterize the morphology of red blood cells in patients admitted for HF decompensation. Material and Methods We have included patients with decompensated HF with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). ≤45% successively hospitalized at Filantropia Clinical Hospital Craiova. Results A total of 397 patients, including 204 males (51.39%) were included. The prevalence of anemia in our group was 38.54% (153 patients). The mean age of patients with heart failure and anemia was significantly higher compared to those with normal hemoglobin (75.05±7.16 years vs. 72.27±7.91 years, p=0.00047). The majority of anemias (68.62%) were normocytic normochromic, defined as mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCV) value between 80 to 98fl and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCH)>27pg. 20 patients (13.07%) had microcytic hypochromic anemia (MCV<80fL and MCH<27pg), in 16 patients (10.45%) was present normocytic hypochromic anemia (MCV 80-98fl and MCH<27pg) and 12 patients (7.48%) had macrocytic anemia (MCV>98fL and MCH>27pg), respectively. Conclusions Our study suggests that the prevalence of anemia in hospitalized patients for HF decompensation is high and normocytic normochromic anemia was the most common morphological type of anemia.