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

Background: Few studies compare the therapeutic efficacy of different iron deficiency anaemia treatments. Aim: Evaluate the therapeutic response of the most common iron preparations. Material and methods: Retrospective, 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. Results: 85.8% 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. Conclusions: Despite comparable efficacy among treatments, ferrous fumarate had the lowest treatment failure and was the therapy of choice.