Efficacy and safety of intravenously administered iron sucrose with and without adjuvant recombinant human erythropoietin for the treatment of resistant iron-deficiency anemia during pregnancy

OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to determine the efficacy and safety of intravenously administered iron sucrose with versus without adjuvant recombinant human erythropoietin in the treatment of gestational iron-deficiency anemia resistant to therapy with orally administered iron alone. STUDY DESIGN: Forty patients with gestational iron-deficiency anemia were randomly assigned to receive intravenously iron sucrose plus recombinant human erythropoietin or iron sucrose alone twice weekly. Target hemoglobin value was 11.0 g/dL. Efficacy measures were reticulocyte count, increase in hematocrit, and time to target hemoglobin level (treatment duration in weeks and need for continued therapy after 4 weeks). RESULTS: Both regimens were effective, but with adjuvant recombinant human erythropoietin the reticulocyte counts were higher from day 4 (P < .01), increases in hematocrit were greater from day 11 (P < .01), and the median duration of therapy was shorter (18 vs 25 days), with more patients reaching the target hemoglobin level by 4 weeks of treatment (n = 19 vs n = 15). The groups did not differ with respect to maternal-fetal safely parameters. CONCLUSION: Adjuvant recombinant human erythropoietin safely enhanced the efficacy of iron sucrose in the treatment of gestational iron-deficiency anemia resistant to orally administered iron alone.