Iron deficiency in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention

Abstract Background Iron deficiency (ID) is a known co-morbidity and a potential therapeutic target in heart failure. Whether ID is frequent also in ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients and is associated with worse in-hospital outcomes has never been evaluated. Methods We defined ID as a serum ferritin  Results Four-hundred-twenty STEMI patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) were included. Of them, 237 (56%) had ID. They had significantly higher admission high-sensitivity troponin and mtDNA levels as compared to non-ID patients (145 ± 35 vs. 231 ± 66 ng/L, P  Conclusions Iron deficiency is frequent in STEMI patients, it is coupled with mitochondrial injury, and, paradoxically, with a better in-hospital outcome. This unexpected clinical result seems to be associated with a smaller myocardial reperfusion injury. The mechanisms underlying our findings and their potential clinical implications warrant further investigation.