Take Action

Know When You’re Low

Your heart works 24/7 to ensure that blood is pumped where it needs to be. Why would you not provide it with everything it needs to function effectively? If you have been diagnosed with heart failure you are already aware that your heart is not functioning correctly, so do what you can to make your heart’s job as easy as possible. One check to consider is visiting your GP to test your iron levels. Up to 1 in 2 people with heart failure may have iron deficiency and this can worsen symptoms of heart failure^_1,2.

Testing & Treatment

Once your GP has tested your iron levels they can decide which treatment is best for you. This will depend on the level of iron deficiency that you have. An iron deficiency test is easy. Your GP or Heart Failure Nurse will run a blood test to check for particular indicators of body iron levels.

Tests may include^₃:
TSAT, or transferrin saturation, is a test to measure the amount of iron that is being transported in your body.
Serum ferritin, which indicates how much iron is stored in your body.

Following these tests your doctor can decide on a suitable treatment.

Considerations

Whether you have heart failure or not, a healthy diet filled with nutrient-rich foods is the best way to ensure that you are getting your required daily iron intake. Sometimes, because of changes in the gut, or certain medications you are taking, or chronic inflammation, your body cannot get the supply of iron it needs⁴.
For this reason, the best way to ensure that you are not iron deficient is to speak to your GP, Heart Failure Nurse or Consultant Cardiologist. Speak to them today and ensure you know if you’re low in iron.

References

Klip IT et al. American Heart Journal. 2013; 165(4): 575-582 e3.
Cohen-Solal A et al. Archives of Cardiovascular Diseases. 2014; 107(10):563-571
Assessing the status of Iron populations (2nd edition), WHO 2007
Jankowska EA, et al. Eur Heart J. 2013; 34(11): 816-829