Safety & Efficacy Of Ferric Carboxy Maltose In Third Trimester Of Pregnancy

Abstract

Iron deficiency anemia is one of the commonest medical disorders encountered in pregnancy especially in developing countries. This is due to physiological drop of hemoglobin due to hemodilution, whereas most women in these countries enter pregnancy with depleted iron stores.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (1998) defined Anemia in iron-supplemented pregnant women using a cutoff of the 5th percentile—11 g/dL in the first and third trimesters, and 10.5 g/dL in the second trimester of pregnancy[1]

Anemia can leads to preterm birth, fetal growth restriction, intrauterine fetal death, low Apgar score and infection. In fetus and infants.[2-4]

Chang and associates (2013) followed 850 children born to women classified as iron deficient in the third trimester. The study concluded that children without iron supplementation had lower mental development at 12, 18, and 24 months of age, suggesting that prenatal iron deficiency is directly associated with proper mental development.[5]

For many decades the mainstay of managing IDA has been oral iron supplements and (whole blood or PCV) transfusions. However, oral iron supplementation is associated with significant side effects resulting in non-compliance in many patients and the hazards of blood transfusion are well described and should be avoided a much as possible.[6].