Coronary haemodynamic studies in chronic severe anaemia.

Coronary haemodynamic studies performed on 14 patients with anaemia of at least 4 months' duration, and a haemoglobin value of 6-5 g./100 ml. or less (range 1-6 to 6-5 g., average 4-4 g.) form the basis of this report. Anaemia was due to ankylostomiasis in 10 patients, nutritional deficiency in 3 patients, and chronic pyelonephritis with uraemia in 1 patient. The average age of the patients was 24 years (range 14 to 40 years). No patient was in congestive heart failure at the time of study: 8 of them had slight to moderate cardiomegaly; and in 7, non-specific "T" wave changes were seen in the electrocardiogram, which reverted to normal after correction of the anaemia. Patients were kept in the hospital for 8 to 12 weeks until their haemoglobin values became 10-0 g./100 ml. or more. All patients were carefully examined and investigated to rule out evidence of associated cardiovascular disease. To determine if the haemoglobin level per se affects the coronary circulation, patients were arbitrarily divided into two groups: group A consisted of 6 patients with a haemoglobin of less than 4-0 g. (average 2-9 g.), and group B, between 4 0 to 6-5 g. (average 5-5 g.), consisted of 8 patients (Table I). Eight of the subjects were restudied (2 from group A and 6 from group B) after correction of their anaemia. Control