Studies Why Iron Deficiency Worsens Heart Failure

People with heart failure often suffer from iron deficiency. When they are treated with iron, they feel better, are more resilient, rarely need to go to hospital, and possibly live longer. Scientists have now figured out why that is. They were able to show what positive effects iron therapy has and why iron is so important for the function of the heart.

For some years, it has been known that even mild iron deficiency in heart failure is detrimental, even if there is no anemia (anemia). In iron deficiency anemia, not enough red blood cells can be produced to transport the oxygen in the body. Here it is obvious that one gets tired quickly and is physically less resilient. Iron is not only important for oxygen transport, but is also needed in the cell's power plants, the mitochondria. In iron deficiency, the mitochondria can produce less energy. Especially the heart muscle is dependent on a high energy supply for its pumping function.

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To find out how the iron balance in heart muscle cells is regulated, researchers have turned off so-called Irp proteins in heart muscle cells. Irp proteins regulate the iron content of the cell. If Irp proteins are inactivated, less iron can be absorbed into the cell. For vital metabolic processes is no longer enough iron available, the mitochondria can then work worse.

Mice in which the Irp proteins were switched off developed iron deficiency in the heart, but not in the blood and other organs. Under rest conditions one did not notice the animals, but with physical stress their hearts could not increase the pumping function; After heart attack, the animals developed pronounced heart failure. The cause was too low energy production in the mitochondria. When the researchers administered iron to the mice, they were able to replenish their iron stores in the heart, the heart muscle cells again produced sufficient energy, and the heart function normalized.