Iron substitution in sideropenia or sideropenic anemia in patients with IBD with heme iron containing preparation

Summary

Introduction: Sideropenia and sideropenic anemia occurring in more than a half of patients suffering from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The efficacy in replenishing of the iron storage or therapy of sideropenic anemia is part of the national guidelines for IBD population. Unfortunately, in IBD patients, therapy with inorganic iron preparations is associated with intolerance or side effects which occurred relatively often.

Methods and results: A cohort of 43 IBD patients without inflammatory activity (31 with Crohn’s disease and 12 with ulcerative colitis) with sideropenia (ferritin level < 30 µg/L) or mild sideropenic anemia (hemoglobin 100 g/L–120 g/L) were recruited for 12 weeks therapy with GlobiFer®forte tablet containing heme iron and also inorganic iron. The median hemoglobin concentration significantly increased from week 0 to week 12 (123.5 g/L to 133.5 g/L) (P = 0.004) and median mean red cell corpuscular volume changed from 85.2 fL at week 0 to 87.3 fL at week 12 (P = 0.05). GlobiFer®forte was very well tolerated and side effects occurred only in one patient.

Conclusion: The heme iron which is part of GlobiFer®forte was very well tolerated and this therapy led to the normalization of hemoglobin concentration and mean red cell volume at the end of the therapy.

Keywords:

inflammatory bowel disease – heme iron – sideropenia – sideropenic anemia