EFFICACY, AND COMPLIANCE OF ORAL IRON POLY-MALTOSE COMPLEX VERSUS ORAL FERROUS SULFATE IN THE TREATMENT OF IRON DEFICIENCY ANEMIA IN PREGNANT WOMEN; A RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL (RCT)

Abstract

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines anemia in pregnancy as a hemoglobin (Hb) concentration of < 11 g/dl. Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is the most common type of anemia in pregnancy. The iron content of the body is normally kept constant by regulating the amount absorbed to balance the amount lost (WHO, 2005). An increase in loss along with inadequate intake can lead to depletion of body iron stores, iron deficiency, and eventually to anemia. Iron requirements are increased during infancy, puberty, pregnancy, lactation and during menstruation (Sharma, 2003). The WHO estimates that 58% of pregnant women in developing countries are anemic mainly because of iron deficiency (Dusch et al., 2002). There is a substantial amount of evidence showing that maternal iron deficiency anemia early in pregnancy can result in low birth weight subsequent to preterm delivery (Klebanoff et al., 1991). An association between maternal anemia and lower infant Apgar score was reported in some studies. Iron supplements improve the iron status of the mother during pregnancy and during the postpartum period, even in women