Retrospective analysis of therapeutic response obtained with enteral and parenteral iron in adults with iron deficiency anaemia

BackgroundFew studies compare the therapeutic efficacy of different iron deficiency anaemia treatments.AimEvaluate the therapeutic response of the most common iron preparations.Material and methodsRetrospective, observational-analytical study based on medical records from the Haematology Department, conducted from March to October 2014, including 121 adults with ferropenic anaemia and 3-month follow-up. Patients with comorbidities or pregnancy were excluded.Results85.8% were women (n=103) and 14% men (n=17), with a mean age of 42 (16–83) years. Seventy patients (58.3%) started with oral administration; the rest received intravenous iron. Efficacy was similar among all the iron preparations, with no significant differences (p>0.05). Iron sucrose was most effective in rapidly replenishing body iron stores.ConclusionsDespite comparable efficacy among treatments, ferrous fumarate had the lowest treatment failure and was the therapy of choice