Comparison of Various Oral Iron Salts in the Treatment of Iron Deficiency Anemia in Pregnancy

To compare the efficacy and side effects of ferrous sulphate, fumarate, ascorbate, sodium feredetate and ferrous bisglycinate in the treatment of iron deficiency anemia in pregnancy.

The study is a prospective, randomized, comparative clinical study comprising of 250 antenatal women with hemoglobin between 7–10 gm %. The patients divided into five groups I, II, III, IV and IV of fifty each, by systematic randomization and were treated with ferrous sulphate (100mg), ferrous fumarate (100mg), ferrous ascorbate (100mg), ferrous bisglycinate (30 mg), sodium feredetate (33 mg) respectively. Hemoglobin estimation was done at day 0, 30 and 60 and serum ferritin levels were done on day 0 and 60.

There was significant and comparable rise in hemoglobin on day 30 and day 60 in all the five groups (p<0.001). Ferrous ascorbate and ferrous bisglycinate showed significantly (p<0.05) more rise as compared to ferrous sulphate. Maximum side effects were with ferrous fumarate (51) followed by ferrous sulphate (40), ferrous bisgylycinate (26), ascorbate (18) and sodium feredetate (10).

Ferrous ascorbate and bisglycinate are more effective than ferrous sulphate in treatment of iron deficiency anemia in pregnancy. Sodium feredetate had minimum side effects.