What is the clinical and cost effectiveness of iron supplementation in people with chronic heart failure and iron deficiency?
A systematic review of Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of intravenous (IV) or oral iron supplementation, compared with each other or placebo, for patients with heart failure (HF) who also have iron deficiency (ID). The trials included in the review were IRONOUT, IRON-HF, and IRONOUT HF200. These trials found that iron supplementation was associated with improved mortality, quality of life, unplanned hospitalisation, exercise tolerance, haemoglobin levels in anaemic patients, and a lower rate of withdrawal due to adverse events or tolerability. Adverse events associated with iron supplementation included hypertension, anaphylaxis/hypersensitivity, stroke, and gastrointestinal issues.