Tag Archives: iron deficiency

New generation diabetes drugs – a cardiorenal done deal? The meeting was opened by Professor William Herrington (Honorary Consultant Nephrologist, Oxford Kidney Unit) who discussed the impact of the new generation diabetes drugs on kidney outcomes.1 A meta-analysis of over 90,000 patients showed that sodium glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors slowed chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression by 37%, and decreased the risk of acute kidney injury, cardiovascular (CV) death or heart failure hospitalisation by 23%, regardless, the presence of diabetes or type of SGLT2 inhibitor used. Implementing these drugs is simple and can be done by

What’s new in transplantation Are kidney donors worse off? The meeting was opened by Dr Anna Price (Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Birmingham) who addressed the long-term cardiovascular effects of unilateral nephrectomy in living kidney donors.1 Previous studies have shown a significant prevalence of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD),2,3 but the effects of reduced renal function in living kidney donors has been unexplored until now. A recent study by Price et al. demonstrated that living kidney donors had a reduction in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) from 95 to 67 ml/min

Introduction Heart failure (HF) is a common condition and the majority of patients have multiple co-morbidities. It is therefore essential that all healthcare professionals (HCPs) are familiar with the contemporary management of these patients. Whilst HF specialists are integral to the delivery of optimal patient care, it is important to ensure that therapies are optimised at every opportunity and enable the best care for patients in the context of acute or chronic non-cardiovascular illness. Current practice is often suboptimal; for example, in the latest national HF audit (England and Wales), the number of patients leaving hospital on thre

Introduction Heart failure (HF) is a clinical syndrome characterised by breathlessness, leg swelling and fatigue, which is caused by a primary cardiac abnormality. HF can be categorised into HF with a reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF; ejection fraction <50%) or HF with a preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF; ejection fraction >50%).1 It was estimated in 2012, in Ireland, that 90,000 people had HF, with another 160,000 people at risk of developing the disease.2 There are also an estimated 10,000 new cases of HF every year.2 Both prevalence and incidence have likely increased since 2012 due to the ageing population and increases in comorbid

Do new diabetes drugs protect the heart and kidney? The day’s keynote session was given by Professor Johannes Mann (Friedrich Alexander University of Erlangen, Germany). Diabetes management has been transformed with the introduction of newer agents with the promise of cardiovascular and renal protection. The sodium glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors are known to reduce the hyperfiltration, which occurs in early diabetic nephropathy. Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists are incretin mimetics, which have several benefits for diabetes management. The mechanisms by which GLP-1 agonist therapy may reduce blood pressur

This topic was addressed by Dr Carolyn Lam (National Heart Centre, Singapore) during a Vifor satellite symposium. Iron deficiency is frequently defined as a serum ferritin <100 μg/L (or 100–299 ng/ml, if transferrin saturation [TSAT] <20%); the usual iron deficit in a 35–70 kg heart failure patient with a haemoglobin 10–14 g/dl is 1,000 mg. Iron deficiency is common irrespective of haemoglobin, sex, ethnicity, and even ejection fraction. In heart failure patients it adversely affects: functional status, including exercise capacity quality of life outcome Iron deficiency (but not anaemia) is associated with adverse prognosis. My

Anaemia in chronic heart failure: what constitutes optimal investigation and treatment? Dear Sirs, We read with interest the recent supplement on anaemia in heart failure patients.1 Since the publication by Bolger et al.2 on the benefits of intravenous iron therapy in chronic heart failure (CHF), we have been screening for anaemia and iron deficiency in this cohort. We actively treat these patients based on the criteria of a haemoglobin level less than 12 g/dL, already on optimal conventional heart failure therapy, New York Heart Association (NYHA) class II symptoms or worse, and a ferritin of less than 100 μg/L. We were previously using an