Prevalence of Iron Deficiency Anemia Indicated for Intravenous Iron Treatment in the Korean Population.

Abstract

We aimed to investigate the number and prevalence of patients indicated for intravenous iron treatment in a large Korean population using criteria based on laboratory test results in an effort to extract indirect information on the need for intravenous iron treatment. Between 1 January 2019 and 31 December 2021, a total of 83,994 Korean patients (30,499 men and 53,495 women) with a median age of 46 years (interquartile range, 30-61) were evaluated using iron deficiency anemia-associated laboratory tests and serum creatinine tests of estimated glomerular filtration rates. The overall prevalence of anemia (Hb ≤ 11 g/dL) was 16.5%, and the proportion of patients with possible chronic kidney disease who had an estimated glomerular filtration rate < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 was 11.4%. The number of patients indicated for reimbursable intravenous iron treatment was higher in women than in men, higher in older patients, and higher in 2021 than in 2019 (all p < 0.001). The prevalence of patients indicated for reimbursable intravenous iron treatment was up to 30.0% in those ≥ 80 years of age in 2019. The results of this study provide basic knowledge about the use of iron deficiency anemia-associated laboratory tests in planning nutritional support programs using an intravenous iron formulation in Korea.