Table 1.

Causes of anaemia and iron deficiency in patients affected by heart failure.

Anaemia	Iron deficiency
Impaired renal function	Impaired iron absorption
Chronic inflammation	Reduced iron intake (malnutrition)
Bone-marrow dysfunction	Gastrointestinal blood losses
Haemodilution	Chronic inflammation (with impaired iron transition in the circulation and its sequestration into the reticuloendothelial system)
Iron deficiency