Details for This Review

Study Population: Any patient receiving intravenous iron, oral iron, or placebo

Efficacy End Points: Dichotomous outcomes included treatment response (defined as an increase in hemoglobin of greater than 2 g per dL [20 g per L]), short-term mortality (30 days or less), long-term mortality (greater than 30 days), and requirement for a red blood cell transfusion; continuous outcomes included the mean difference in hemoglobin, number of units of red blood cells transfused, and length of hospital stay

Harm End Points: Proportion of patients who developed an infection

Narrative: Iron deficiency anemia clinically affects 5 million people in the United States, with an additional 5 million who are deficient but asymptomatic.¹ Patients considered at higher risk of developing iron deficiency anemia include infants and children younger than five years and those who are menstruating, are pregnant, or have chronic kidney disease or malabsorption syndromes.²