However , in patients with IBD flares and inadequate responses to or side effects with oral preparations , intravenous iron supplementation is the therapy of choice .
Neither oral nor intravenous therapy seems to exacerbate the clinical course of IBD , and intravenous iron therapy can be administered even in active disease stages and concomitantly with biologics .
Based on the data presented , oral iron therapy should be preferred for patients with quiescent disease stages and trivial iron deficiency  anemia unless such patients are intolerant or have an inadequate response , whereas intravenous iron supplementation may be of advantage in patients with aggravated anemia or flares of IBD because inflammation hampers intestinal absorption of iron
Abstract Anemia is the most frequent complication of inflammatory bowel disease ( IBD ) , but anemia , mostly due to iron deficiency , has long been neglected in these patients .
The aim was to briefly present the pathophysiology , followed by a balanced overview of the different forms of iron replacement available , and subsequently , to perform a systematic review of studies performed in the last decade on the treatment of iron-deficiency anemia in IBD .
Efficacy of erythropoietin combined with enteral nutrition for the treatment of anemia in Crohn's disease: a prospective cohort study.
BACKGROUND Anemia is a common and serious complication in patients with inflammatory bowel disease . The present study was dedicated to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of erythropoietin ( EPO ) combined with enteral nutrition ( EN ) in anemic Crohn 's disease ( CD ) patients , in terms of hemoglobin level , treatment success rate , adverse events , and predictor of this therapy . MATERIAL S AND METHODS We performed a prospect i ve study in CD patients . On the basis of hemoglobin level , all enrolled patients were divided into anemic and nonanemic groups . The anemic group was further divided into EPO and non-EPO subgroups , depending on whether EPO was prescribed . Hematological and other parameters were measured initially and in the first 4 weeks after starting treatment . RESULTS In total , 109 patients ( 49 nonanemic and 60 anemic , including 38 EPO and 22 non-EPO ) were included . The prevalence of anemia in CD was 55.05 % . Age , disease behavior , Crohn 's Disease Activity Index scores , C-reactive protein , and erythrocyte sedimentation rate were significantly different between anemic and nonanemic groups . An increase in hemoglobin level and a significant decrease in C-reactive protein level were observed in the EPO treatment group . Treatment success rate was 63.16 % in the EPO group , whereas none of patients achieved treatment success in the non-EPO group . CONCLUSION EPO combined with EN can improve the hemoglobin level in anemic CD patients
However , in patients with IBD flares and inadequate responses to or side effects with oral preparations , intravenous iron supplementation is the therapy of choice .
Neither oral nor intravenous therapy seems to exacerbate the clinical course of IBD , and intravenous iron therapy can be administered even in active disease stages and concomitantly with biologics .
Based on the data presented , oral iron therapy should be preferred for patients with quiescent disease stages and trivial iron deficiency  anemia unless such patients are intolerant or have an inadequate response , whereas intravenous iron supplementation may be of advantage in patients with aggravated anemia or flares of IBD because inflammation hampers intestinal absorption of iron
Abstract Anemia is the most frequent complication of inflammatory bowel disease ( IBD ) , but anemia , mostly due to iron deficiency , has long been neglected in these patients .
The aim was to briefly present the pathophysiology , followed by a balanced overview of the different forms of iron replacement available , and subsequently , to perform a systematic review of studies performed in the last decade on the treatment of iron-deficiency anemia in IBD .