The Effect of Parenteral or Oral Iron Supplementation on Fatigue, Sleep, Quality of Life and Restless Legs Syndrome in Iron-Deficient Blood Donors: A Secondary Analysis of the IronWoMan RCT.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to determine whether intravenous or oral iron supplementation could improve symptoms related to iron deficiency in blood donors.
Results Summary
The study found significant improvements in symptoms of restless legs syndrome, fatigue, and sleep quality after iron supplementation. Both intravenous and oral iron therapies showed effectiveness in alleviating iron deficiency-related symptoms.
Population
176 iron-deficient blood donors (138 female, 38 male) aged 18-65 years.
Effective Dosage
Intravenous iron (1 g ferric carboxymaltose) or oral iron (10 g iron fumarate, 100 capsules).
Duration
8-12 weeks
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Intravenous iron (1 g ferric carboxymaltose) | decrease | severity of symptoms for restless legs syndrome (RLS) | iron-deficient blood donors | - | significant improvement | #1 |
Intravenous iron (1 g ferric carboxymaltose) | decrease | fatigue | iron-deficient blood donors | - | significant improvement | #2 |
Intravenous iron (1 g ferric carboxymaltose) | increase | sleep quality | iron-deficient blood donors | - | significant improvement | #3 |
Oral iron supplementation (10 g iron fumarate) | decrease | severity of symptoms for restless legs syndrome (RLS) | iron-deficient blood donors | - | significant improvement | #4 |
Oral iron supplementation (10 g iron fumarate) | decrease | fatigue | iron-deficient blood donors | - | significant improvement | #5 |
Oral iron supplementation (10 g iron fumarate) | increase | sleep quality | iron-deficient blood donors | - | significant improvement | #6 |
Iron supplementation | decrease | symptoms related to iron deficiency | iron-deficient blood donors | - | may be an effective strategy to improve | #7 |
Iron supplementation | increase | wellbeing | iron-deficient blood donors | - | may be an effective strategy to improve | #8 |
UNLABELLED: METHODS/DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, controlled, single-centre trial. (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01787526). SETTING: Tertiary care center in Graz, Austria. PARTICIPANTS: 176 (138 female and 38 male) whole-blood and platelet apheresis donors aged ≥ 18 and ≤ 65 years with iron deficiency (ferritin ≤ 30ng/mL at the time of blood donation). INTERVENTIONS: Intravenous iron (1 g ferric carboxymaltose, n = 86) or oral iron supplementation (10 g iron fumarate, 100 capsules, n = 90). MEASUREMENTS: Clinical symptoms were evaluated by a survey before iron therapy (visit 0, V0) and after 8-12 weeks (visit 1, V1), including questions about symptoms of restless legs syndrome (RLS), chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), sleeping disorders, quality of life and symptoms like headaches, dyspnoea, dizziness, palpitations, pica and trophic changes in fingernails or hair. RESULTS: We found a significant improvement in the severity of symptoms for RLS, fatigue and sleep quality ( CONCLUSION: Iron supplementation in iron-deficient blood donors may be an effective strategy to improve symptoms related to iron deficiency and the wellbeing of blood donors.