Three-year follow-up of a randomised clinical trial of intravenous versus oral iron for anaemia in pregnancy

• Published in: BMJ open 2012, Vol.2 (5), p.e000998
• Main Authors: Khalafallah, Alhossain A, Dennis, Amanda E, Ogden, Kath, Robertson, Iain, Charlton, Ruth H, Bellette, Jackie M, Shady, Jessica L, Blesingk, Nep, Ball, Madeleine
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anemia; Birth weight; Breastfeeding & lactation; Clinical trials; Hemoglobin; Iron; Patients; Postpartum depression; Pregnancy; Quality of life; Questionnaires; Reproductive Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynaecology; White people; Womens health
• ISSN: 2044-6055; 2044-6055
• DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2012-000998

Background To date, there are no data available concerning the impact of iron therapy on the long-term well-being and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in pregnancy. Objective To assess the long-term effect of iron therapy on HRQoL in pregnancy. Design This is a follow-up study conducted between January 2010 and January 2011 of an earlier randomised open-label clinical trial of intravenous and oral iron versus oral iron for pregnancy-related iron deficiency anaemia. We used a modified version of the SF-36 questionnaire together with the original prospective HRQoL data collected during and after pregnancy. Participants and interventions Of the original evaluable 183 pregnant Caucasian women randomised to receive oral iron or a single intravenous iron polymaltose infusion followed by oral iron maintenance, 126 women completed the follow-up HRQoL study. Methods The participants were followed up 4 weeks after treatment, predelivery and postdelivery for a median period of 32 months (range, 26–42) with a well-being and HRQoL questionnaire using a modified SF-36 QoL-survey and child growth charts as set by the Australasian Paediatric Endocrine Group (APEG). Results Patients who received intravenous iron demonstrated significantly higher haemoglobin and serum ferritin levels (p