Abstract:
Objective: To compare the efficacy of ferrous sulphate versus iron Polymaltose complex (IPC) in the treatment of iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in children. Study Design: Randomized controlled trial. Place and Duration: Department of Pediatrics, Combined Military Hospital, Kharian Pakistan from Jan 2019 to Mar 2020. Methodology: A total of 150 children with IDA were included. At baseline, blood sample was obtained for assessment of hemoglobin level. Then children were randomly divided in two groups. In Group-A (n=75), patients were given ferrous sulphate while in In Group-B (n=75), IPC was given. After 12-weeks of treatment, hemoglobin level was assessed. Efficacy was labeled as “yes” if there was 2 g/dl hemoglobin improvement. Results: In a total of 150 children, the mean age in Group-A was 6.56±2.33 years and 6.05±2.78 years in Group-B. In group A, there were 37 (49.3%) males and 38 (50.7%) females while in Group-B there were 35 (46.7%) males and 40 (53.3%) females. At baseline in group A, the mean hemoglobin level was 6.07±1.12 g/dl while in group B, it was 6.16±1.14 g/dl. After 12-weeks, in Group-A the mean hemoglobin level was 9.44±1.61 g/dl whereas in Group-B, it was 8.83±2.01 g/dl (p=0.0420). There was insignificant difference observed for efficacy in both groups (p-value = 0.051). Practical Implications: Both IPC and ferrous sulphate resulted in significant rise in hemoglobin levels but ferrous sulphate showed better results in comparison to IPC. Conclusion: Although in comparison to IPC, ferrous sulphate resulted in significantly better rise in hemoglobin levels among children with IDA, but overall efficacy between the two studied drugs was relatively similar.
