Health-related quality of life among Japanese women with iron-deficiency anemia

Iron-deficiency anemia (IDA) is a common disease in females of childbearing age. Although iron supplementation quickly improves laboratory-measured parameters, its effect on health-related quality of life is unknown. Here, we conducted a prospective follow-up study to evaluate health-related quality of life in pre-menopausal women diagnosed with IDA. A convenience sample of 92 patients who visited Tokai University Hospital and three other affiliated hospitals were asked to fill out the Medical Outcome Study 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36) during the course of treatment (baseline, and 1 and 3 months after the start of treatment). At baseline, vitality and general health scores were significantly lower than the Japanese national norms. After the start of therapy, however, a significant improvement was seen in all domain scores except role emotional (RE), and at 3 months all eight scores were comparable to or greater than the national norms. In particular, physical functioning and vitality scores of patients with a lower hemoglobin level (< 9.0 g/dl) at baseline showed a dramatic improvement. Iron supplementation in IDA patients improves not only hemoglobin levels, but also physical function, vitality, and general health perception.