Abstract
Background: Anemia is characterized by reduced blood oxygen-carrying capacity due to low hemoglobin, affects diverse organs, notably the heart. Understanding anemia-associated left ventricular (LV) function changes aids early detection and management. Utilizing 2D speckle tracking enables precise LV mechanics assessment, facilitating comparative analysis between anemic individuals and healthy counterparts.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna. The participants were selected into two distinct cohorts: an Anemic group and a Healthy group.
Anemic group: Participants with hemoglobin levels <13 g/dL in males and <12 g/dL in females were included. Individuals with any other comorbidities were excluded. Non-probability consecutive sampling was employed for participant selection.
Healthy group: A roster of hospital staff members without any comorbidities was compiled and organized numerically. Age- and sex-matched comparison groups were then chosen. For each anemic patient, two age- and gender-matched healthy adults were selected from the existing list.
2D echocardiography with speckled tracking was used to obtain LV global longitudinal strain (GLS).
Results: A total of 90 individuals were included in the study, comprising 30 participants in the anemic group and 60 in the healthy group. The mean age of participants in the anemic and healthy groups was 41.6 and 31.1 years, respectively, with corresponding mean ejection fractions of 54 ± 1.94% and 59 ± 1.60%. Additionally, a statistically significant difference (p <0.01) was observed in the mean LV GLS score between anemic patients (-13.4 ± 2.38%) and healthy subjects (-18.7 ± 0.70%). The linear regression model showed significant positive associations between hemoglobin (coefficient: 0.57, p < 0.01) and gender (male-female) (coefficient: 1.22, p = 0.005) and LV GLS (r2 = 0.55).
Conclusion: Anemia may reduce LV GLS, reflecting impaired myocardial function. Therefore, 2D speckle tracking in echocardiography can detect early LV dysfunction, improve treatment plans, and improve prognosis in anemic patients.
