Abstract 13078: Prognostic Significance of Reticulocyte Production Ability in Patients With Chronic Heart Failure

Abstract

Background: Anemia is frequently observed in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF), and many studies have evaluated the association between anemia and mortality in CHF. The quality of erythropoiesis is an intrinsic aspect of pathophysiology of anemia, and the ability of reticulocyte production would be one of the pivotal factors in the quality of erythropoiesis. However, it remains unclear whether reticulocyte production ability is associated with clinical outcomes in patients with CHF. Methods: We prospectively examined 1,274 symptomatic CHF patients (mean age 71.9±13.4 years, median LVEF 50 [IQR 36-63]%) in a multicenter registry (25 sites). The reticulocyte production ability was evaluated by calculating the reticulocyte production index (RPI) using reticulocyte counts and serum hematocrit. Patients were divided into four groups according to the presence of WHO defined anemia and the median value of RPI. The primary outcome was composite of all-cause death and hospitalization for worsening HF. Results: During a median follow-up period of 427 (IQR 273-642) days, the primary outcome occurred in 222 (17%) patients. The group with anemia and high RPI (≥0.982, the median) showed the highest incidence of the primary outcome among the groups ( P < 0.001) (Figure A). In an anemic subgroup (n = 611), higher RPI was independently associated with increased adverse events (HR 1.67, 95% CI 1.31-2.13) adjusted for age, sex, estimated glomerular filtration rate, NT-pro BNP, hemoglobin, serum sodium and iron parameters. In this subgroup, erythrocyte counts were not significantly increased in patients with higher RPI compared to lower RPI (Figure B). Moreover, there were no significant differences on transferrin saturation and serum iron between the groups (Figure B). Conclusions: Higher reticulocyte production ability, which might reflect the impaired process of erythropoiesis, was associated with worse clinical outcomes in patients with CHF, especially with anemia.