Anemia, an independent predictive factor for amputation and mortality in patients hospitalized for peripheral artery disease.

OBJECTIVES

Anemia is associated with poorer outcome in coronary artery disease (CAD) and heart failure (HF), but data on patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) are scarce, especially regarding the local (limb) prognosis. It was hypothesized that anemia is associated with poorer prognosis in patients hospitalized for PAD, and this relationship would be proportional to the severity of the anemia.

DESIGN

Prospective cohort study.

MATERIALS

The Cohorte des Patients Artéritiques (COPART) is a multicenter registry of patients hospitalized for PAD in three university hospitals in southwestern France.

METHODS

Clinical and biological data were collected at entry. Patients were followed up to 1 year. Anemia was defined by Hb < 8.2 mmol/L in men and <7.6 mmol/L in women. The primary outcome was 1-year survival free from major amputation. The secondary outcome was 1-year major amputation.

RESULTS

Data of 925 consecutive patients (70.7 ± 12.8 years, 29.2% females) were analyzed. Patients were hospitalized either for revascularization or medical therapy, with Rutherford categories 3 (25%), 4 (9.1%), 5 or 6 (55.1%) as well as acute limb ischemia (10.8%). Anemia was present in 471 patients (50.9%). These patients were significantly older, with higher rates of hypertension, diabetes, clinical CAD, HF, chronic kidney disease, and cancer, and with lower rates of smoking and dyslipidemia than their counterparts (p < .05 for all). In multivariate models, anemia was significantly and independently associated (p < 0.001) with death and amputation (HR 1.44; 95% CI 1.15-1.80) with similar findings for secondary outcomes. A lower level of hemoglobin is associated with a higher risk of mortality and amputation (HR 1.20; 95% CI 1.09-1.32).

CONCLUSION

Anemia and its severity are independent predictors of mortality and limb loss in patients hospitalized for PAD.