A £1.7 million study is to examine how iron supplements could ease pressure on the NHS from people living with heart failure.
The research seeks to determine if iron supplement injections could ease the disabling symptoms of heart failure, and as a result reduce hospitalisation.
The UK-wide study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, could determine if iron supplements can improve patients’ ability to exercise without becoming breathless and fatigued.
There is currently no cure for heart failure and in severe cases the only available option is heart transplantation, for which there is an ever growing waiting list and a risk of transplant rejection.
Many people with heart failure have low levels of usable iron in the blood.
Previous smaller studies have shown that intravenous iron can be beneficial to patients with heart failure in the short term, making them feel better and increasing exercise capacity.
The researchers will recruit around 1,300 patients over two years.
Heart problems followed chemo
Heart problems were a surprise result of chemotherapy for Elizabeth Kidd, from Brechin, who now struggles to walk to her local shop without losing her breath.
The 69-year-old underwent chemotherapy for breast cancer in 2000.
Five years later, she first started experiencing symptoms related to her heart.
It was not until 2008 that any formal diagnosis was made. Doctors discovered she had atrial fibrillation and heart failure, which means she now relies on eight different medications to help with those conditions alone.
She said: “I didn’t think about my heart and that something could go wrong with it. At first I thought my breathlessness was down to my fitness so it was a real shock to learn I had heart problems.
“When I was diagnosed with breast cancer the odds of beating it weren’t as good as they are now, so I’m grateful the treatment I received has helped me beat it.
“My hope is that more research into this will mean women like me who beat breast cancer won’t go on to develop heart failure.”