Researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health are launching a big study to judge a single dose of intravenous iron to treat women experiencing anemia after giving birth. The study will enroll nearly 5,000 women in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Zambia and Guatemala. It should be conducted by researchers within the Global Network for Women’s and Kid’s Health, a gaggle of clinical sites funded by NIH’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). The Foundation for the National Institutes of Health is providing greater than $6 million in funding for the study, with contributions from a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Participants will likely be randomized to receive either a single dose of intravenous iron solution between six- and 48-hours after giving birth or a six-week supply of oral iron supplements. Based on the usual of care, each groups also will receive the vitamin folate within the infusion or as tablets.

Iron deficiency anemia increases sharply amongst individuals after birth, leading to fatigue, weakness, shortness of breath, reduced cognitive abilities, depression and other symptoms. Anemia may additionally compromise a mother’s ability to offer take care of her baby.

Previous studies have found intravenous iron to be effective at stopping anemia in pregnancy, but it surely has not been studied as a treatment for anemia after pregnancy. Researchers will compare the prevalence of mild anemia, iron levels, depression scores, quality of life scores and other measures between the 2 groups to evaluate the treatment’s effectiveness.

Source:

National Institutes of Health