Efficacy of Ferrous Fumarate in Comparison to Carbonyl Iron in the Treatment of Iron Deficiency Anaemia during Pregnancy in Rajshahi, Bangladesh

Abstract

Introduction: Iron deficiency represents a spectrum ranging from iron depletion to iron deficiency anaemia. In iron depletion, the amount of stored iron is reduced but the amount of transport and functional iron may not be affected. Iron deficiency is a major problem worldwide especially in women of reproductive age. Objectives: This study was designed to compare efficacy of two commonly used oral iron preparations among anemic pregnant women in private chamber of gynecologists and outdoor of Rajshahi Medical college hospital, Rajshahi, Bangladesh. Methods: We conducted analysis of data collected from Pregnant women between 18 to 40 years of age, >8 weeks of gestation, having iron deficiency anaemia (serum hemoglobin levels <10 gm/dl or serum ferritin <30μg/l). The patients were divided into 2 groups (n=30) each and treated with Ferrous fumarate and carbonyl iron respectively. Hemoglobin gm/dl and serum Ferritin ng/dl were recorded after the interval of 3 months from baseline. Data was analyzed using SPSS 16. Efficacy variables between groups calculated using Chi square and T- test. Results: We observed that patients treated with Ferrous Fumarate (FF) showed significant rise in Hb 0.69(±0.83) which was greater than that of Carbonyl iron (CI) group 0.07(±1.11) g/dl. Mean (± SD) rise of serum ferritin was significantly higher in FF group (55.45 ±34.66) as compared to CI group (19.88 ±15.33) (t=5.14, df =58, P<0.001). Conclusion: It can be concluded that, ferrous fumarate still can be considered better effective medication than Carbonyl iron for the treatment of Iron deficiency anemia in pregnancy.