Iron Deficiency and Heart Failure: The Great Predictor

Doran Teverovsky
May 18 2014
European Society of Cardiology
Published May 17 2014
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140517085837.htm

Summary:
Researchers in Greece attempted to look at the connection between iron deficiency and heart failure. They measured iron deficiency in a completely new way be looking at two variables, circulating hepcidin, an indicator of low iron stores. And high amounts of transferrin receptors circulating in the blood, which indicate high iron requirements by cells. It was found that patients who exhibited both of these characteristics were more likely to die in the twelve months following heart failure. If only one of the two indicators was expressed, it was a much lower chance of death after heart failure. This has great bearing for predicting mortality after heart failure. This study also used traditional iron measuring methods which were not able to accurately predict death in patients.

Connection:
This article was talking about how deficiency in one micro nutrient can radically increase mortality rates. This is a direct example of homeostatic imbalance. This also relates to what certain types of cells need to function, for example, muscle cells require some iron in order to function well, without, cardiac muscle can have reduced efficiency. This also relates to the circulatory, as the article was talking about heart failure specifically and the prevention of many issue that can spawn off of it.