Background: Preclinical studies indicate iron deficiency (ID) plays an important role in cardiac remodelling. However, the relationship between ID and cardiac remodelling remains unknown in clinical setting. This retrospective study aims to identify a potential biomarker for the myocardial remodelling in patients with ID. Due to limited patients with ID are identified without iron deficiency anaemia (IDA), we analyse the relationship of total iron binding capacity (TIBC) and the left ventricular mass index (LVMI) in patients with iron deficiency anaemia.
Methods: A total of 82 patients with IDA exhibiting the diagnostic criteria for IDA were enrolled in the study. Among the patients, 65 had reported LVMI values. Subsequently, these patients were divided into two groups according to abnormal LVMI (> 115 g/m2 in men and > 95 g/m2 in women). Linear bivariate analysis was performed to detect the associations of haemoglobin or TIBC with clinical and echocardiographic characteristics. Simple linear regression analysis was used to evaluate the correlation between LVMI and the parameters of IDA, while multivariable linear analysis was used to assess the association of LVMI with age, TIBC and haemoglobin. Logistic regression analysis was utilized to determine the relationship of LV remodelling with anaemia severity and TIBC.
Results: As compared with control group, the levels of TIBC in abnormal LVMI group are increased. Using log transformed LVMI as the dependent variable, simultaneously introducing age, TIBC, and haemoglobin into the simple linear regression or multivariable linear regression analysis confirmed the positive association among these factors. Bivariate correlation analysis reveals the irrelevance between haemoglobin and TIBC. In logistic regression analysis, TIBC is associated with the risk of LV remodelling.
Conclusions: Results of study indicate that TIBC exhibit an explicit association with LVMI in patients with iron deficiency anaemia. Logistic analysis further confirms the contribution of TIBC to abnormal LVMI incidence among this population with IDA.
Keywords: Cardiac remodelling; Iron deficiency anaemia; Iron metabolism; Left ventricular mass index; Total iron binding capacity.