OBJECTIVES: Iron deficiency (ID) is one of the most common comorbidities of Chronic Heart Failure (CHF), being associated with a higher risk of disease progression as illustrated by worsening of New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class. The aim of this research was to compare the utilization of ferric carboxymaltose (FCM) versus no use of iron for the ID-CHF treatment.

METHODS: NYHA distribution over time was modelled by discrete-time Markov. Cohorts were classified according to treatment: FCM or no iron. Transition probabilities were based on meta-analysis described elsewhere. Eligibility to treatment was restricted to NYHA II (33.0%) and NYHA III (67.0%). Clinical burden was measured by NYHA class distribution, mortality and health resource consumption: hospitalization and readmissions. Monetary valuation of the latter and drug costs accounted for the economic burden. Costs were retrieved from public sources. The healthcare payer perspective, a 5%/year discount rate and a time horizon of two years were adopted.

RESULTS: There are approximately 30.319 patients eligible for IV iron in Portugal and 6.960 new cases per year