Can low dose iron be used to treat anaemia in pregnancy effectively?

Efficacy and side effects of iron supplements for the correction of anaemia in pregnant women: a comparison of high dose vs low dose iron

Status

Completed

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ANZCTR

Registry ID

ACTRN12606000357550

Acronym

EASI

Enrollment

150

Registered

2005-01-05

Start date

2004-01-11

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2020-01-13

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

None listed

Brief summary

Iron deficiency anaemia is a common problem in pregnancy. It is often treated with high dose iron that cause constipation, stomach cramp and inhibit zinc absorption. Despite these concerns, there are no studies designed to work out the best dose of iron to treat anaemia in pregnancy. The aim of the study is to determine the dose that is most effective for the treatment of anaemia with least side effects. Three doses of iron (20mg/d, 40mg/d and 80mg/d) will be tested, and haemoglobin response and gastrointestinal side-effects will be assessed as the primary outcome. All researchers involved in the data collection and data analysis were blinded to the group allocation of the subjects until the primary analysis was completed.

Interventions

Eligible women are randomly allocated to one of three iron supplement groups: 20mg/day, 40mg/day or 80mg/day of iron for 8 weeks. The iron supplements were administered orally.

Study design

Allocation

Randomised controlled trial

Intervention model

Parallel

Primary purpose

Treatment

Masking

Blinded (masking used)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Healthy volunteers

Outcome results