There were no statistically significant differences in adverse effects , length of hospitalisation or mortality .
Conclusion Oral iron raises haemoglobin levels in elderly people with iron deficiency anaemia by 0.35 g/dL after 4–6 weeks , but it is unclear if this results in tangible health benefits
Background Oral iron supplementation is used widely in older people despite observational studies suggesting it is ineffective .
Objective The aim of this systematic review was to determine if oral iron therapy is effective in elderly people with iron deficiency anaemia .
Heme iron polypeptide for the treatment of iron deficiency anemia in non-dialysis chronic kidney disease patients: a randomized controlled trial
Background Anemia secondary to iron deficiency is common in patients with non-dialysis dependent chronic kidney disease ( ND-CKD ) but it is unclear if oral supplementation is as effective as intravenous ( IV ) supplementation in re-establishing iron stores . The purpose of this study was to determine if oral Heme Iron Polypeptide ( HIP ) is as effective as IV iron sucrose in the treatment of iron-deficiency anemia for patients with ND-CKD . Methods Forty ND-CKD patients were r and omized ; 18 to HIP  11 mg orally 3 times per day and 22 to IV iron sucrose 200 mg monthly for 6 months . Baseline clinical and laboratory data were collected for all patients . The primary and secondary outcomes for the study were hemoglobin ( Hgb ) concentration and iron indices [ ferritin and percentage transferrin saturation ( TSAT ) ] at the end of 6 months respectively . Adverse events were also compared . Results The baseline demographic characteristics and laboratory values were similar for the two groups . After 6 months of treatment , Hb in the  HIP  group was 117 g/L and 113 g/L in the IV sucrose group ( p = 0.37 ) . The TSAT at 6 months was not different between the two groups { p = 0.82}but the serum ferritin was significantly higher in the IV iron sucrose group { 85.5 ug/L in HIP and 244 ug/L ; p = 0.004}. Overall adverse events were not different between the groups . Conclusion HIP is similar in efficacy to IV iron sucrose in maintaining hemoglobin in ND-CKD patients with no differences in adverse events over 6 months . It is unclear if the greater ferritin values in the IV iron sucrose group are clinical ly significant . Trial registration Clinical Trials.gov :
There were no statistically significant differences in adverse effects , length of hospitalisation or mortality .
Conclusion Oral iron raises haemoglobin levels in elderly people with iron deficiency anaemia by 0.35 g/dL after 4–6 weeks , but it is unclear if this results in tangible health benefits
Background Oral iron supplementation is used widely in older people despite observational studies suggesting it is ineffective .
Objective The aim of this systematic review was to determine if oral iron therapy is effective in elderly people with iron deficiency anaemia .