Oral Iron Therapy

 

Oral Iron Therapy

             

Iron salt	Daily dose (mg)	Elemental iron supplied (mg)
Ferrous sulfate	200 mg 8 hourly	108
Ferrous gluconate	200 mg 8 hourly	108
Ferrous fumarate	300 mg 12 hourly	188

 

 Parental iron is given IMorIV after a test dose.Test dose is given as follows.

If the patient does not develop any adverse reaction like local redness or swelling, nausea,vomiting,giddiness, dizziness,faintness,breathlessness,further dose may be given.

1.For IM USE, 25 MG of the iron-dextran complex or iron sorbital-citric acid complex solution is given deep IMin the upper and outer quadrant of the buttock wit a Z-tract technique, under aseptic and antiseptic precautions.

2.For intravenous use,25mg of the iron salt solutins is taken in a ml syringe and the patient’s peripheral vein is punctured with a 20 gauge needle attached to the syringe 4.5 ml of the patient’s blood is drawn into the syringe and the mixture is injected into the patient’s vein slowly over 15 minutes.

 

If the  patient has severe anaemia and needs treatment urgently,as when facing some operation or delivery, the anaemia is corrected by transfusion of packed rd cells. One unit of packed cells corrects the haemoglobin level by 1%g.

 

Anaemia of Infants

1.It is seen in small babies below the age of one year.

2.It is more common in babies delivered   prematurely,since most of the iron transfer from the mother to the foetus takes place in th last month of the pregnancy, and if the baby delivers before that, it develops anaemia by the age of 6 months or earlier.

3.If the child is given cow’s or buffalo’s milk, that too diluted with water ,it does not get iron in sufficient  quantities and develops anaemia.

4.Wrong customs and practices about dirt may prevent the child from receiving supplementary feeds to breast milk, at the right time.

5.Such babies are given iron drops orally.

 

Anaemia  of pregnancy

 

1.Factors contributing to anaemia during pregnancy are as follows:-

               .Haemodilution  due to a greater increases in the circulating plasma volume than in the red cell

                Mass.

           

                .Increased demands for iron by the foetus and maternal tissues.

                .Blood loss due to threatened abortion or antepartum haemorrhage.

2.Nutritional deficiency.

3.The risk of anaemia to the maternal health is increased as compared to a nonpregnant woman,because the woman may bleed after delivery. The risk of infection of genital tract after delivery and of congestive cardiac failure is also increased.

4.The investigations and treatment of this form of anaemia is as of iron deficiency anaemia is as of iron deficiency anaemia in any nonpregnant woman.

 

Anaemia Associated with Diseases of gastrointestinal tract.

 

Group	Mechanism	Causes
Haemorrhage	Loss of blood	.Oesophageal  varices. .Peptic ulcer. .Acute gastritis. .carsinoma of stomach. .Ulcerative colitis. .piles. .carsinoma of colon.
Malabsorption syndrome	Deficiency of iron, folic acid,and B12	Steatorrhoea.
Resectionof stomach and intestine	Deficiency of iron,folic acid,and B12.	.Chronic diarrhea. .Gastrectomy .Intestinal resection.