1. Summary of study characteristics.
|
Studya |
Interventionb (elemental iron dose) | Reported outcomesc | Follow‐up time pointsd | Description of study participants |
| Birgegard 2010 | Fe2+SO4 (Duraferon) (100 mg daily for 20 days) | Hb, SeFe, RLS, AE | Week 4 and week 8 (non‐donation); donation 2 to 4 (♀) or 2 to 5 (♂); last donation is ≥ 1 year post‐1st donation | Experienced donors having given at least 5 donations in last 1 to 2 years |
| Fe3+sucrose (Venofer) (1 x 200 mg given intravenously) | ||||
| Blot 1980* | Fe2+SO4 + Vit C (Ferro‐Grad Abbott) (105 mg (+ 500 mg Vit C) daily for "following months") | Hb, MCV, SeFe, TIBC, AE, SI, Sat |
At second donation | Regular donors |
| Control (no placebo) | ||||
| Borch‐Iohnsen 1993 | Fe2+ fumarate + Vit C (Collett Iron) (20 mg (+ 120 mg Vit C) daily, treatment duration unclear) | Hb, SeFe, transferrin | 5 months after baseline measures | Female blood donors with depleted iron stores (serum ferritin < 20 μg/L and haemoglobin > 120 g/L) |
| Fe2+ fumarate (Vitalia Hemojern) (16 mg (+ 2 mg heme iron from porcine blood) daily, treatment duration unclear) | ||||
| Brittenham 1996 | Carbonyl iron (100 mg daily for 56 days) with scheduled visits | Mean no. donations per year | After 30 months | Females pledged to donate four times each year. |
| Control (scheduled visits only) | ||||
| Bucher 1973* | Fe2+SO4 (Resoferon) (37 mg 3 times daily for 28 days (one vial)) | Low Hb deferral, Hb, Hct, MCHC, transferrin, AE, PI | Day 14 and day 28 post‐donation | Healthy blood donors blood group B; haemoglobin 125 to 135 g/L |
| Fe2+SO4 (Resoferon) (37 mg 3 times daily for 28 days (28 sachets)) | ||||
| Fe2+SO4 (Resoferon) (37 mg 3 times daily for 4 days (4 sachets) followed by placebo for 24 days (24 sachets)) | ||||
| Placebo (3 times daily for 28 days (1 vial)) | ||||
| Busch 1972* | Fe2+SO4 (Eryfer) (50 mg (+ 222 mg Vit C + 84 mg NaHCO3) twice daily for 30 days) | AE | After 30 days of treatment | Blood donors |
| Fe2+SO4 (alternative) (50 mg (+ 222 mg Vit C) twice daily for 30 days) | ||||
| Placebo (273.8 mg maize starch + 1.2 mg Aerosil twice daily for 30 days) | ||||
| Buzi 1980* | Fe2+SO4 (Tardyferon) (80 mg (+ 80 mg muco‐protein) daily for 30 days) | Hb, Hct, TIBC, AE, SI | Day 2 after end of treatment | Deferred donors with Hb < 130 g/L (Hct < 37%) and no history of medical pathology for anaemia |
| Fe2+ fumarate (66 mg twice daily for 18 days) | ||||
| Cable 1988 | Fe2+ gluconate (Fergon) (37.5 mg twice daily for trial duration) | Low Hb deferral, Hb, SeFe, transferrin, ZP | ≥ 8 weeks since previous donation or 4 weeks since deferral, for 5 visits including initial visit |
Female donors failing previous Hb screen (some were eligible to donate at start of study) |
| Placebo (calcium phosphate twice daily) for trial duration | ||||
| Devasthali 1991 | Carbonyl iron (100 mg daily for 84 days) | Hb, MCV, SeFe, transferrin, TIBC, AE, SI | Weeks 0, 1, 3, 6, 12, 16 (none were donation visits) | Menstruating, non‐pregnant women 18 to 40 years old recently deferred from donation (Hct < 35%) with an absence of known medical disorders and no iron supplementation since deferral from blood donation and a MCV < 85 fL and ferritin < 12 μg/L |
| Fe2+SO4 (100 mg daily for 84 days) | ||||
|
Ehn 1968* (Adolfsson 1968*; Lieden 1975) |
Fe2+ succinate (Ferromyn S) (74 mg (+220 mg succinic acid) twice daily for 2 weeks) | Hb, Hct, TIBC, PA, SI | 2 months after 6 subsequent donations (inter‐donation interval 2 months) | Young, healthy, male conscripts with no past history of haematological, gastrointestinal or renal disorder. None had previous haemorrhage or had served as blood donors |
| Fe2+ succinate (Ferromyn S) (34 mg (+110 mg succinic acid) twice daily for 2 weeks) | ||||
| Placebo (twice daily for 2 weeks) | ||||
| Frykman 1994 | Fe2+ fumarate (Hemofer) (8 mg (+1.2 mg heme iron from porcine blood) twice daily for first month then second or third month) | Hb, SeFe, AE | After 3 months | Regular blood donors |
| Fe2+ fumarate (Erco‐Fer) (60 mg daily for first month then second or third month) | ||||
|
Gordeuk 1987a |
Carbonyl iron (600 mg 3 times daily for 7 days) | Hb, MCV, SeFe, TIBC, AE, SI, Sat, FEP | Day 56 after successful donation | Previous (at least once) female donors of child‐bearing age who were not pregnant and came to donate blood |
| Fe2+SO4 (60 mg 3 times daily for 7 days) | ||||
| Placebo (3 times daily for 7 days) | ||||
| Gordeuk 1987b | Carbonyl iron (600 mg 3 times daily for 21 days) | Hb, MCV, SeFe, TIBC, AE, SI, Sat, FEP | Weeks 1, 3, 6, 12, 16 | Female blood donors of child‐bearing age who were not pregnant recently deferred from repeat donation due to low Hct |
| Fe2+SO4 (60 mg 3 times daily for 21 days) | ||||
|
Gordeuk 1990 |
Carbonyl iron (100 mg daily for 56 days) | Low Hb deferral, Hb, MCV, SeFe, transferrin, TIBC, AE, SI | Day 56 after successful donation | Repeat female donors of child‐bearing age who were not pregnant and came to donate blood |
| Placebo (daily for 56 days) | ||||
| Jacobs 1993 | Fe2+SO4 (60 mg twice daily for 84 days) | Low Hb deferral, Hb, SeFe, NIA, AE, SI, Sat | Weeks 1, 2, 4, 8, 12. Not donation visits | Donors failing CuSO4 Hb screening test, i.e. deferred donors |
| Fe3+ polymaltose (100 mg daily for 84 days) | ||||
| Fe3+ polymaltose (100 mg twice daily for 84 days) | ||||
| Jacobs 2000 | Fe3+ polymaltose (100 mg (+3.6 mMol/L GlyP) twice daily for 84 days) | Hb, SeFe, transferrin, AE, SI, RCF | Weeks 4, 8 and 12. Not donation visits | Regular donors failing CuSO4 Hb screening test |
| Fe3+ polymaltose (100 mg (+1.9 mMol/L GlyP) twice daily for 84 days) | ||||
| Fe3+ polymaltose (100 mg twice daily for 84 days) | ||||
| Fe2+SO4 ("equivalent dose" twice daily for 84 days) | ||||
|
Landucci 1987 |
Fe3+ protein succinylate (Legofer) (80 mg daily for 30 days) | Hb, Hct, MCV, MCH, MCHC, SeFe, transferrin, AE, SI | End of trial: mean 30 +/‐ 2.2 days (range 23 to 33) | Blood donors aged 18 to 56 with low levels of stored iron (serum ferritin < 30 ng/100 mL) |
| Fe2+SO4 (105 mg daily for 30 days) | ||||
| Lieden 1975 | Fe3+ carbonate (100 mg daily for 1 year) | Low Hb deferral, TIBC, NIA, AE, SI, PCV | After 4th and 6th donations | Young, male, first‐time donor conscripts with no history of bleeding |
| Fe3+carbonate (20 mg daily for 1 year) | ||||
| Lindholm 1981* | Fe2+SO4 (ACO) (100 mg daily for 30 days) | Low Hb deferral, Hb, TIBC, AE, SI | After 1st, 2nd and 3rd donations | Previous donors (all except 14/500) without iron deficiency anaemia during the most recent years, could tolerate different iron preparations and intended to continue to give blood |
| Fe2+ fumarate (Erco‐Fer) (60 mg daily for 30 days) | ||||
|
Linpisarn 1986 |
"Elemental"” iron (56 mg daily for 90 days) | Hb, Hct, SeFe, transferrin | After ˜3 months (assumed no donations) | Male volunteer and paid blood donors who had previously donated |
| Placebo (daily for 90 days) | ||||
| Mackintosh 1988_LSF | Fe3+ polymaltose (Ferrimed DS) (100 mg twice daily for 56 days) | Hb, SeFe, AE | After 56 days of treatment (not donation visit) | Regular donors (at least 4 donations in previous year) passing the Hb test and with low serum ferritin (less than 20 μg/L) |
| Placebo (twice daily for 56 days) | ||||
| Mackintosh 1988_HSF | Fe3+ polymaltose (Ferrimed DS) (100 mg twice daily for 56 days) | Hb, SeFe, AE | After 56 days of treatment (not donation visit) | Regular donors (at least 4 donations in previous year) passing the Hb test and with high serum ferritin (between 50 and 150 μg/L) |
| Placebo (twice daily for 56 days) | ||||
|
Maghsudlu 2008 |
Fe2+SO4 (150 mg 3 times daily for 7 days) | Low Hb deferral, Hb, Hct, SeFe, TIBC, AE, SI, Sat | Visits 1 (4 months), 2 (8 months) and 3 (12 months) | Female, successful blood donors < 45 years who were not pregnant |
| Placebo (3 times daily for 7 days) | ||||
| Mirrezaie 2008 | Fe2+SO4 (50 mg daily for 56 days) | SeFe, AE | Day 7, 28 and 56. Not donation visits | Regular (at least 2 donations in past year) healthy female donors of childbearing age. 72% had previously been taking iron supplements |
| Placebo (daily for 56 days) | ||||
| Radtke 2004a | Fe2+ gluconate (20 mg (+ 400 mg Vit C) twice daily for 6 months) | Low Hb deferral, SeFe, transferrin, AE | ♂ = 2/4/6 months; ♀ = 3/6 months. All were donation visits | Regular, healthy donors |
| Fe2+ gluconate (+ 400 mg Vit C) (10 mg twice daily for 6 months) | ||||
| Placebo (+400 mg Vit C) (twice daily for 6 months) | ||||
| Radtke 2004b | Fe2+ Glycine SO4 (ferro sanol duodenal) (100 mg daily for 8 to 10 weeks) | Low Hb deferral | Before donation visits 1, 2, 3 Inter‐donation interval 8 to 10 weeks | Regular, healthy donors with a minimum body weight of 68 kg and Hb of 145 g/L giving 2‐unit RBC by apheresis |
| Placebo (daily for 8 to 10 weeks) | ||||
|
Rosvik 2010 |
Fe2+ Glycine SO4 (Niferex©) (100 mg daily for 8 days) | Hb, SeFe, transferrin | Day 8 (+/‐ 2) after initial donation | Donors with at least 1 prior donation |
| Control (no placebo) | ||||
|
Rybo 1971 |
Fe2+SO4 (100 mg twice daily for 14 days) | AE | Day 14 post‐donation | Regular blood donors |
| Fe2+SO4 heptahydrate (100 mg twice daily for 14 days) | ||||
| Placebo (twice daily for 14 days) | ||||
|
Simon 1984 |
Fe2+SO4 (37 mg daily for 56 days) | Hb, SeFe, TIBC | Donation visits 2, 3, 4, 5 etc. (inter‐donation interval 8 to 12 weeks, mean 9.5 weeks) with at least 4 donation visits | Regular, female blood donors committing to donate blood every 8 weeks for 1 year |
| Fe2+SO4 (37 mg (+75 mg Vit C) daily for 56 days) | ||||
| (100 mg Vit C daily for 56 days) | ||||
| Waldvogel 2012 | Fe2+SO4 (Tardyferon) (80 mg daily for 28 days) | Hb, SeFe, Cog, PA, AE | 1 week after donation (randomisation) and 4 weeks post‐randomisation | Successful female blood donors (non‐anaemic but iron‐deficient after donation) |
| Placebo (daily for 28 days) |
a* = translated.
bFe2+ SO4 = iron (II) sulphate; Fe3+sucrose = iron (III) sucrose; Fe2+ = ferrous (II) salt; Fe3+ = ferric (III) salt; NaHCO3 = sodium bicarbonate; Vit C = vitamin C; GlyP = glycerophosphate. All treatments were administered orally with the exception of ferric sucrose, given intravenously in Birgegard 2010.
cAE = adverse effects; Cog = cognitive function; FEP = free erythrocyte protoporphyrin; Hb = haemoglobin; Hct = haematocrit; MCH = mean cell Hb; MCHC = MCH concentration; MCV = mean cell volume; NIA = net iron absorption; PA = physical activity; PI = plasma iron; RLS = restless legs syndrome; Sat = percentage saturation; SeFe =serum ferritin; SI = serum iron; TIBC = total iron binding concentration; ZP = zinc protoporphyrin
d♂ = males, ♀ = females.