Comparison of different doses of daily iron supplementation for anemia prophylaxis in pregnancy: A systematic review

Different doses of iron are used for oral supplementation during pregnancy throughout the world. This objective of this review is to describe the effectiveness and side effect profile of different doses of oral iron supplementation for prophylaxis of anemia among pregnant women. Published literature was searched using keywords "iron," "pregnancy," and "supplementation" and related terms. Gray literature was searched in medical libraries including National Medical Library, Dr. B. B. Dikshit library, and library of ICMR. Intervention studies comparing different doses of oral iron given as prophylaxis for anemia during pregnancy, published till December 2017, were retrieved. Studies done only among anemic patients, and studies comparing oral iron with placebo were excluded. In total, 1588 studies were obtained and 11 of them met the objectives. In global studies, prophylactic dose of 30 mg and above is shown to maintain normal hemoglobin. Among the studies from India, prophylactic dose of 120 mg showed consistent results and 60 mg showed inconsistent results in increasing both hemoglobin and ferritin levels. No significant difference in side effects was reported up to 80 mg iron in global studies and the side effects were comparable with 60 to 240 mg doses in Indian studies. It was evident from the review that a state of clinical equipoise exists for the ideal dose of iron supplementation for the prevention of anemia in pregnancy in terms of efficacy and side effect profile. Robust clinical trial as well as technical consultation is required, especially in Indian setting to explore this question further.