A prospective study comparing the efficacy of oral iron, intra-venous Ironsucrose and Ferric-carboxy-maltose in postpartum anemia

Post partum anemia needs a major concern not only to ensure healthy puerperum, better mother baby bonding, build up iron reserves in the puerpurae to have a better quality of life but also to ensure minimised incidence of anemia in next pregnancy. The current treatment for postpartum anemia is oral iron supplementation but this has been associated with several gastrointestinal side effects, So Intravenous iron treatments have become more popular. To evaluate the efficacy of oral iron, intravenous Iron sucrose and ferric carboxymaltose for treatment of postpartum anemia. Prospective study conducted at MLN Medical College from 2014 to 2015 in 350 postpartum anemic women given different iron preparation and changes in various haematological parameters compared. Although both forms of iron achieved almost similar increase in Hb level, parenteral Iron preparations had a quicker response with better restoration of iron stores. The rise in all the red cell indices were significantly more in the intravenous group then in oral iron group with no difference between ISR&FCM. The restoration of iron stores were maximum in FCM group. Parenteral iron therapy replenishes iron stores more rapidly and ensures iron therapy in population with poor compliance. Compared to ISR, FCM had advantage of lesser dose requirement and lesser side effects.