Frequency to Non-Compliance to Oral Iron Therapy in Pregnancy and Common Factors Leading to it

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to determine frequency of non-compliance to oral iron therapy in pregnancy and common factors leading to it. METHODOLOGY: It was a cross-sectional study done in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Lady Willington Hospital Lahore, Pakistan. The duration of this study was six months i.e., 3rd October 2019 to 2nd March 2020. All antenatal patients between ages of 18 to 45 years presented in the obstetrics outdoors or admitted in the ward were included in this study. A total of 245 patients were included in this study by consecutive non-probability sampling. Patients with gynecological problems, patients dependent on others for their medication cost, patients with psychiatric illness or physical disability were excluded. Post stratification Chi-square test was applied keeping P-value ≤0.05 as significant RESULTS: Among 245 patients, mean age was 27±2.16 years. Iron supplement used by 245 patients was analyzed as 159 (65%) patients had used the iron supplement while 86 (35%) patients didn’t use iron supplements (P-value 0.001). Iron supplement used by 245 patients was analyzed and only 93 (38%) patients had used the iron supplement while 152 (62%) patients didn’t use iron supplements. CONCLUSION: The coverage of antenatal iron and folic acid supplements is very low in the surveyed districts of Pakistan due to lack of parental education and older aged women belonging to poor households.

Comparative Study of the Effects of Lactoferrin versus Oral Iron Therapy in Obese Children and Adolescents with Iron Deficiency Anemia

Greater prevalence of iron deficiency (ID) has been observed in overweight and obese children and adolescents. Hepcidin acts as a key regulator of iron metabolism. Hepcidin synthesis increases in response inflammatory cytokines especially Interleukin-6 (IL-6). Considering that obesity represents a low grade chronic inflammatory state, a high concentration of hepcidin has been found in obese children. Elevated hepcidin level in obese children is associated with diminished response to oral iron therapy. Lactoferrin is an iron-binding multifunctional glycoprotein and has strong capacity to modulate the inflammatory response by its capacity to reduce pro-inflammatory cytokine expression in vivo, including IL-6 and hepcidin. Aim of the Work: To compare the efficacy of lactoferrin versus oral iron therapy in treatment of obese children and adolescents with iron deficiency anemia and the effect of therapy on serum hepcidin and interleukin 6 levels. Methodology: This prospective randomized clinical trial was conducted on 40 obese children and adolescents aged between 6 –18 years suffering from iron deficiency anemia (IDA). They were equally randomized into one of 2 groups. Group A received regular oral lactoferrin in a dose of 100 mg/day. Group B received regular oral iron supplementation (Ferric hydroxide polymaltose) in a dose of 6 mg elemental iron/kg /day.Baseline investigations included complete blood count (CBC), iron profile (Serum ferritin, serum iron, total iron binding capacity (TIBC), transferrin saturation), serum Interleukin 6, and serum hepcidin. Reevaluation of CBC was done monthly while iron status parameters, serum IL-6 and serum hepcidin were reevaluated after 3 months of receiving regular therapy. Results: Significant elevations in hemoglobin, MCV, MCH, Serum ferritin, serum iron and transferrin saturation with lactoferrin therapy compared to oral iron therapy. Significantly Lower TIBC after 3 months of lactoferrin therapy while the decrease in TIBC was insignificant in the iron therapy group.Lower serum hepcidin and IL6 after 3 months of lactoferrin therapy with no significant change in serum hepcidin and IL6 after iron therapy. Conclusion: This study clearly demonstrated the superiority of lactoferrin over iron use as oral in the treatment of iron deficiency anemia in obese children not only for the better response of hematological and iron status parameters and less gastrointestinal side effects but also for its effect on decreasing inflammatory biomarkers as hepcidin and IL6.

Poor efficacy of oral iron replacement therapy in pediatric patients with heart failure

Introduction: Iron deficiency is associated with worse outcomes in children and adults with systolic heart failure. While oral iron replacement has been shown to be ineffective in adults with heart failure, its efficacy in children with heart failure is unknown. We hypothesised that oral iron would be ineffective in replenishing iron stores in ≥50% of children with heart failure. Methods: We performed a single-centre retrospective cohort study of patients aged ≤21 years with systolic heart failure and iron deficiency who received oral iron between 01/2013 and 04/2019. Iron deficiency was defined as ≥2 of the following: serum iron <50 mcg/dL, serum ferritin <20 ng/mL, transferrin >300 ng/mL, transferrin saturation <15%. Iron studies and haematologic indices pre- and post-iron therapy were compared using paired-samples Wilcoxon test. Results: Fifty-one children with systolic heart failure and iron deficiency (median age 11 years, 49% female) met inclusion criteria. Heart failure aetiologies included cardiomyopathy (51%), congenital heart disease (37%), and history of heart transplantation with graft dysfunction (12%). Median dose of oral iron therapy was 2.9 mg/kg/day of elemental iron, prescribed for a median duration of 96 days. Follow-up iron testing was available for 20 patients, of whom 55% (11/20) remained iron deficient despite oral iron therapy. Conclusions: This is the first report on the efficacy of oral iron therapy in children with heart failure. Over half of the children with heart failure did not respond to oral iron and remained iron deficient.

Effect of Oral Iron Therapy in Moderately Affected Anemianic Pregnant Women

In India, Iron deficiency anemia is one of the major causes of maternal deaths, over the past years, various oral and intra muscular & intravenous preparations of iron have been used for correction of iron muscular are associated with significant side effects; Intramuscular (Iron dextran) was used as an alternative to oral iron therapy for those who were not compliant to oral therapy. Iron dextran has a lot of side effects such as fever, arthralgia, even anaphylactic reactions extending to pulmonary edema and even death. Further it is not possible to achieve the target rise in Hemoglobin level in a limited time period, when the patient is approaching term. Whereas Intravenous (Iron sucrose complex) is a relatively new drug which is a BOON to medical therapy and is the BEST OPTION of iron therapy when used as an alternative to oral therapy as it restores iron stores more promptly and is able to raise the hemoglobin to satisfactory level .

A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY ON PREVALANCE OF ANEMIA IN PREGNANCY IN A TERITIARY CARE HOSPITAL

Objective: To study about prevalence in anemia among the antenatal women, its clinical features, and access the severity and its treatment response. Methods: A hospital-based retrospective study on the prevalence of anemia among the antenatal women in tertiary care hospital for 6 months duration in gynecology and obstetrics department. In evaluating pregnant women with anemia, it is essential to do a complete history and physical examination, as well as complete blood count with indices and a blood smear examination. Based on these findings, other test such as ferritin and serum or red cell folate may be ordered. Because of normal physiologic changes in pregnancy that effect the hematocrit, indices, and some other parameters, diagnosing true anemia, as well as the etiology of anemia, is challenging. Results and Discussion: In this retrospective study, the prevalence of Anemia in pregnancy in a tertiary care hospital was evaluated and determined in fifty patients. The most common age group was between 21 and 25 years i.e., (21 patients) 42%. Among 50 patients, majority of them, i.e., 35 patients (70%) were treated with Injection. Iron Sucrose (200 mg). In this study, increase in prevalence were seen majorly in the third trimester, i.e., 25 patients (50%) of which 22 patients (88%) were with moderate anemia with 7.9 gm/dl average hemoglobin (Hb) percentage and 3 patients (12%) were with mild anemia with 9.3 gm/dl average Hb percentage. Conclusion: The plan of management for anemia complicating pregnancy depends on the type of anemia. Oral iron therapy is the route of choice in women with mild to moderate anemia and for severe anemia in pregnant women <30 weeks of gestation. The rise of Hb with parenteral iron therapy is almost the same (avg: 1gm/dl/week) as that of oral iron therapy.

Pseudomelanosis Duodeni Appearing after Oral Iron Therapy

Pseudomelanosis duodeni is a rare condition characterized by the endoscopic appearance of diffuse dark pigmentation of the duodenal mucosa. It is typically seen in older women and has been reported to be associated with hypertension, chronic renal disease, diabetes mellitus, gastrointestinal hemorrhage, and the use of medications such as oral iron, furosemide, thiazide, hydralazine, and propranolol. We present a case of pseudomelanosis duodeni appearing after 2 years of oral iron therapy in an 85-year-old woman. Although oral iron supplementation seemed the strongest possible etiology, our patient had multiple comorbidities and was on other medications that have been described as associations. The majority of individuals taking oral iron or under these clinical conditions do not develop this entity; some other factors in patients may be responsible for its occurrence.

Letter to the Editor: Response to “Efficacy of oral iron therapy in geophagic women with iron deficiency anaemia residing in Botshabelo, South Africa”

We read the recent paper by Mogongoa on efficacy of oral iron therapy in geophagic women with interest. The author must be congratulated on a detailed study. In summary, the study divided 84 geophagic women with iron deficiency anaemia into two groups, one which stopped geophagia, and one which continued with geophagia, while receiving oral iron supplements. After ten weeks of gradually escalating doses of oral iron the participants’ average iron status and haemoglobin had not improved significantly. Response to iron therapy was defined as a rise of the haemoglobin concentration by 2 g/dL within three weeks. In the group that had stopped geophagia 9.3% (4/43) participants had an increase of 2 g/dL in haemoglobin over the ten weeks, while in the group that continued with geophagia only one participant (2.9% = 1/35) had a similar improvement. The author concluded that “oral iron therapy was not effective in geophagia cases of iron deficiency anaemia” in the abstract and “in this study oral iron therapy was not effective for the correction of iron deficiency anaemia in geophagic Botshabelo females” in the conclusions. We wish to point out that this conclusion might not be entirely correct.