Conditions: Anemia
Keywords: Heart Failure Elderly Diastolic Dysfunction Anemia Ventricular End Diastolic Volume Aged
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 56
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
The purpose of this study is to determine if treating anemia with subcutaneous erythropoetin in patients with heart failure and a preserved ejection fraction (HFPEF) will be associated with reverse ventricular remodeling, significant improvements in exercise capacity, and improved health status, as compared with placebo.

Detailed description:
Heart failure frequently occurs in patients with a preserved ejection fraction (HFPEF) and affected subjects are predominantly elderly women with several co-morbid conditions. Despite the diversity of underlying clinical pathologies and co-morbid conditions present in these patients, a common pathophysiologic explanation is generally applied to explain their clinical symptoms. Our preliminary data show that a significant subgroup with HFPEF has increases in ventricular volumes and expanded plasma volumes, consistent with a volume overloaded state. In the setting of a preserved EF with end diastolic volume increased, stroke volume must increase, indicating a high output state. Anemia may be an important, modifiable contributor to the observed high output and volume overload as well as exercise intolerance in elderly HFPEF patients, abnormal ventricular remodeling and impaired overall health status and quality of life. This protocol evaluates the impact of treating anemia in subjects with HFPEF. The specific aims of the current study are to provide a comprehensive and mechanistically based assessment of how correcting anemia in subjects with HFPEF can impact on functional capacity, ventricular structure and function and overall health status. We propose to perform a randomized, prospective, double blind study in 80 subjects with HFPEF to test the hypothesis that the administration of subcutaneous erythropoietin will be associated with reverse ventricular remodeling, significant improvements in exercise capacity and improved health status.

Arms:
arm 1: Subcutaneous erythropoietin will be administered once weekly to achieve a target hemoglobin of 13 g/dL. Subjects will be dosed with the study drug for 24 weeks. The administration of study drug will be performed according to a pre-specified treatment algorithm that adjust erythropoietin dosages based on the rate of rise of the hemoglobin. arm 2: Placebo consists of saline injections.

Interventions: intervention 1: Erythropoietin alpha intervention 2: Placebo
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Erythropoietin alpha is administered weekly by subcutaneous injection using a pre-specified dosing algorithm. The dosing algorithm is designed to make adjustments based on the rate of rise (ROR) of the hemoglobin over a one week period, as well as the absolute hemoglobin value. Subjects initially received active treatment with 7,500 units of erythropoietin given weekly by subcutaneously injection. Subjects are carefully monitored (e.g. every week) to avoid rapid increases in hemoglobin/hematocrit and/or increasing blood pressure control. Dose adjustments are made if the hemoglobin rises too rapidly (greater than 0.3 g/dL) in any given weekly interval. intervention 2: Placebo

Protocol document: