Assessment of Response and Tolerance to Oral Iron Supplements in Patients with Anemia
June 2019
TLDR Iron supplements help reduce fatigue in anaemia but often cause side effects like black stools and stomach issues.
The study assessed the response and tolerance to oral iron supplements in 336 patients with iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) and 58 patients with other types of anaemia. Common symptoms in IDA patients included pallor (42.9%) and hair loss (16.4%). Patients generally responded to iron supplements with reduced fatigue, though side effects like black stools (66.8%) and gastrointestinal issues were common. A small percentage required dose adjustments or intravenous supplements. Patients with other anaemia types showed similar symptoms and side effects, but had limited improvement in blood test results, indicating modest clinical benefit from iron supplements in non-iron deficiency cases.
