Abstract 14059: High Serum Erythropoietin Levels and the Development of Heart Failure in the General Population

Aims: In patients with heart failure (HF), serum erythropoietin (EPO) levels are elevated and associated with disease severity and outcome. Clinical trials with erythropoiesis-stimulating agents in HF and chronic kidney disease showed more adverse events. Whether endogenous EPO levels are prospectively associated with the development of HF or cardiovascular events in the general population is unknown. Methods and results: Serum EPO levels were measured at baseline in 6,686 subjects enrolled in the Prevention of REnal and Vascular ENd-stage Disease (PREVEND) study. Mean age (±SD) was 53±12 years, 49.8% were male, and median (IQR) EPO level was 7.7 (5.9-10.2) IU/L. During a median follow-up of 8.3 (7.7-8.8) years, 209 (3.1%) subjects were newly diagnosed with HF, 97 (1.5%) died of a cardiovascular cause and 386 (6.0%) subjects had a non-fatal cardiovascular event (277 cardiac events and 93 strokes). Each doubling of EPO level was multivariably associated with new onset HF (HR: 1.41, 95% CI: 1.14-1.76, P=0.0...