During the first 5 years following surgery, the incidence of death was 16% in patients with anemia and 12% in nonanemic patients, a statistically significant difference, reported Dr. Malini Madhavan, a physician at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. A significant 4% difference in mortality between the anemic and nonanemic patients also was seen after 10 and 15 years of follow-up, indicating that after an early increase in risk linked to anemia mortality rates were then similar in both subgroups.
“Anemia caused most of the risk [for increased death] early, and then the relative risk remained stable. We don't know why,” said Dr. Patricia J. Best, senior investigator for the study and a cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic.
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