Response of Iron Deficiency Anemia to Intravenous Iron Sucrose in Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this retrospective study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of intravenous iron sucrose (IS) in iron deficient children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in remission.

METHODS: Electronic medical records at a university based pediatric children's hospital were searched for patients in age range 0 to 18 years with diagnosis of IBD and treatment with IS over a 1-year period. Response to IS treatment was assessed by posttreatment changes in ferritin, hemoglobin (Hb), and mean corpuscular volume (MCV). Patients with recorded symptoms of active disease were excluded from analysis of treatment response.

RESULTS: Twelve patients were identified by the search criteria, 10 with Crohn's disease (CD), 2 with ulcerative colitis (UC). Data represent 8 patients in remission, 7 with CD and 1 with UC, who received a total of 34 IS infusions. Iron sucrose was administered in cycles of 2 infusions, 2.5 to 3.5 mg/kg/dose (maximum 200 mg), 1 week apart. Mean ferritin increased from 21.4 ± 9.2 to 52.9 ± 10.1 ng/mL (p = 0.0005), Hb from 10.9 ± 0.4 to 11.3 ± 0.3 g/dL (p = 0.02), and MCV from 76.9 ± 2 to 79.4 ± 2 fl (p = 0.006). Iron sucrose treatment normalized ferritin in 6 of 7, Hb in 2 of 8, and MCV in 2 of 5 patients with low pretreatment levels. No adverse effects were recorded.

CONCLUSIONS: Two IS infusions of 2.5 to 3.5 mg/kg/dose (maximum 200 mg), given 1 week apart normalized ferritin levels in most pediatric IBD patients in remission without adverse effects. Further studies are needed to determine optimal dosing schedules.