OBJECTIVES: The prevalence, clinical impact and prognostic factor of anemia in Heart Failure (HF) patients widely varies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of anemia in patients with HF, to compare baseline clinical characteristic and outcomes of severe HF patients with and without anemia in north Ethiopia.

METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted and we assessed medical records of HF patients who were admitted at Gondar University Hospital in the period between December 02, 2010 and November 30, 2016. Kaplan Meier curve was used to analyze the survival status and log rank test was used to compare the curves. Multivariate Cox regression was used to analyze independent predictors of mortality in all HF patients. P value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS: Three hundred and seventy patients participated in the study. The prevalence of anemia in the study cohorts was 41.90%. There was a significant difference in the level of hemoglobin, creatinine, and sodium among anemic and non-anemic patients. Kaplan Meier survival curves and Log rank test (P = 0.042) showed a significant difference in the prognosis of HF patients with anemia and non – anemic. More significant difference was observed (Log rank test, P = 0.001) in the study participants based on hemoglobin level. Furthermore, multivariate Cox regression showed: advanced age, levels of lower sodium and higher creatinine, and absences of medications independently predicted overall mortality.

CONCLUSIONS: HF patients with anemia tend to be older age, had lower hemoglobin and sodium level and higher creatinine value. Moreover, there was a significant difference in the prognosis between study cohorts, as anemic patients tend to have a worse survival status. Even though, anemia is a significant risk marker, it is not an independent predictor of mortality in the current study.