| Study | Reason for exclusion |
|---|
|
| Aaseth 2001 | 67 non-anaemic pregnant women attending prenatal care clinics in Kingsvinger Hospital, in Kingsvinger, Norway were allocated to a daily regimen of either 100 mg Fe or 15 mg Fe. Both groups received iron at different doses. No comparisons allowed within the scope of this review. |
|
| Abel 2000 | Community based study in Vellore district, India using a pre-post experimental design measuring the impact of an iron supplementation program, helminthic treatment and education intervention in the prevalence of anaemia in the different trimesters of pregnancy. The same pregnant women were not followed. |
|
| Afifi 1978 | 260 pregnant women from Cairo, United Arab Republic were randomly allocated to two forms of iron: a slow release ferrous sulphate preparation and ferrous sulphate in addition to folic acid. Both groups received iron supplementation in different preparations. No comparisons allowed within the scope of this review. |
|
| Ahn 2006 | 209 pregnant women between 18 and 45 years of age, attending outpatient obstetric clinics at North York General Hospital and the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada were randomly assigned to receive multiple micronutrient supplements containing 60 mg of iron as ferrous fumarate (Materna) or another supplement (PregVit) to be taken twice daily with the morning dose containing 35 mg of iron and the evening dose containing 300 mg calcium, among other vitamins and minerals. Both groups received iron in different doses as well as other vitamins and minerals. No comparisons allowed within the scope of this review. |
|
| Angeles-Agdeppa 2003 | 744 apparently healthy pregnant (with less than 20 wks) and non-pregnant women of reproductive age (15-49 years) from the municipalities of Calasiao, Binmaley and Santa Barbara, Philippines who were pregnant or most likely to become pregnant within the 12-month duration of the study, and who volunteered to participate in the study were provided two preparations of iron-folic acid supplements. Women with severe anaemia or history of malaria were excluded. Non-pregnant women were prescribed four capsules monthly each containing 60 mg of elemental iron and 3.5 mg folic acid to be taken once weekly before bedtime (to be purchased by the women in local drugstores). Pregnant women received free of cost four capsules monthly each containing 120 mg of elemental iron and 3.5 mg of folic acid to be taken once a week before bedtime until delivery and for 3 months thereafter. Pregnant women seen at the health centres with 20 wks or more of gestation were advised to take their usual daily dose of iron-folic acid tablets containing 60 mg of elemental iron and 0.5 mg of folic acid. Women were followed for 12 months. Haemoglobin, haematocrit, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration, serum ferritin, transferrin receptors, prevalence of iron deficiency and anaemia, compliance were assessed at baseline, 4.5, 9 and 12 months. There was not randomisation and the control group was not appropriate for comparisons. |
|
| Babior 1985 | Fifteen healthy pregnant women 22-32 years old, in the first trimester of pregnancy from Boston, Massachusetts, USA were randomly assigned to three different multiple micronutrient preparations to assess absorption of iron. |
|
| Bencaiova 2007 | 260 women with singleton pregnancy in Zurich, Germany, were randomised at 21-24 wks of gestation to receive either intravenous iron group (further divided into two doses of 200 mg iron saccharate or three doses of 200 mg iron) or 80 mg elemental iron as ferrous sulphate daily. Both groups received iron in different routes of administration. No comparisons allowed within the scope of this review. |
|
| Berger 2003 | 864 apparently healthy married pregnant and non-pregnant nulliparous women of reproductive age planning to have a child soon from 19 rural communes of the Thanh Mien district in Hai Duong province, Vietnam were invited to participate and assigned to one of the following interventions according to their pregnancy status at baseline: women who were pregnant received free of charge UNICEF tablets containing 60 mg of elemental iron and 0.25 mg of folic acid to be taken daily and women who were non-pregnant were prescribed pink packs of tablets containing 60 mg of elemental iron and 3.5 mg of folic acid that they could buy at their village from the Women's Union, to be taken once weekly. If these women became pregnant, women received red packs of tablets containing 120 mg of elemental iron and 3.5 mg of folic acid free of charge to be taken once weekly. After delivery women were given tablets containing 60 mg of iron and 0.5 mg of folic acid free of charge for 3 months to be taken weekly. Haemoglobin concentration, serum ferritin, and serum ferritin receptors, prevalence of anaemia and iron deficiency and compliance were measured at baseline, at 4.5, 9 and 12 months. This is not a randomised study and no comparisons can be made for the aims of this review. |
|
| Bergsjo 1987 | Planned study registered at the Oxford Database of Perinatal Trials. Author contacted and informed the project was not completed. |
|
| Blot 1980 | 203 pregnant women attending prenatal care clinics during their 6th month visit were randomly allocated to either 105 mg of elemental iron with 500 mg of ascorbic acid or a placebo. Both groups received iron. |
|
| Brown 1972 | 109 pregnant women attending prenatal care clinics in Manchester, England were randomly allocated to one of three groups: group A: one tablet daily given in 'reminder packs', group B: one tablet daily given in loose forms, or group C two tablets daily given in loose form. Tablets contained 50 mg of elemental iron as slow release ferrous sulphate and 400 ug of folic acid. All groups received iron. No comparisons allowed within the scope of this review. |
|
| Burslem 1968 | 472 pregnant women attending the booking clinic were alternatively allocated to two forms of iron: a slow release ferrous sulphate preparation and folic acid or combined conventional ferrous sulphate/folic acid. Both groups received iron supplementation in different preparations. No comparisons allowed within the scope of this review. |
|
| Buss 1981 | 18 pregnant women were randomly assigned to receive either a tablet containing 80 mg of elemental iron with a new mucous membrane vaccine (Tardyferon® or a tablet containing 80 mg elemental iron with 0.35 mg folic acid (Tardyferon-Fol®) for a period of 3 months. All women received iron. No comparisons allowed within the scope of this review. |
|
| Carrasco 1962 | Two liquid preparations were used in this study: one with D-sorbitol and the other without. Both preparations contained vitamin B12, vitamin B6, ferric pyrophosphate and folic acid. |
|
| Casanueva 2003a | 120 singleton pregnant women attending the Instituto Nacional de Perinatologia in Mexico City, Mexico with haemoglobin concentrations higher than 115 g/L at 20 wks of gestation (equivalent to 105 g/L at sea level) were randomly assigned to one of two groups, group 1: one tablet containing 60 mg of elemental iron, 200 ug folic acid and 1 ug vitamin B12 given daily, and group 2: two tablets (total 120 mg of elemental iron, 400 ug folic acid, and 2 ug vitamin B12) to be taken once weekly. Haemoglobin and serum ferritin concentrations were measured every 4 wks from wks 20 until 36, side effects, compliance, birth weight, gestational age at birth, anaemia, iron deficiency. The addition of vitamin B12 to the formulation makes this study ineligible to the inclusion criteria. No comparisons allowed within the scope of this review. |
|
| Chanarin 1965 | 190 pregnant women attending antenatal clinic in St Mary's Hospital in London, England were randomly assigned to one of three groups: ferrous fumarate, ferrous fumarate and folic acid, or placebo. The outcomes measured include full blood count at 20th, 30th, 35th and 39th week of gestation and 6th day after delivery. The paper does not report standard deviations in the variables measured and no data can be extracted. |
|
| Chawla 1995 | 81 pregnant women with 20 +/- wks of gestation from Ludhiana City, India were divided to one of three groups: group 1, 60 mg of elemental iron ad 500 ug of folic acid daily; group 2, 60 mg of elemental iron and 2,000,000 IU of vitamin A, or group 3, who did not receive any supplements. Supplementation was for a period of 15 wks. Outcomes measured included haemoglobin, red blood cell count, total iron binding capacity, transferrin saturation, serum iron, serum vitamin A at baseline and at 36 +/- 2 wks of gestation. Poor methodological quality. None of the outcomes pre-specified in our protocol were recorded due to the varied time of final measurements. |
|
| Coelho 2000 | 100 pregnant women with 20-34 wks of gestation attending the antenatal clinic at The Bandra Holy Family Hospital, Bandra, Mumbai India were randomly assigned to receive 30 mg elemental iron + other essential micronutrients daily or 116 mg elemental iron, folic acid, zinc and vitamin C daily. Outcomes included haemoglobin concentration, maternal weight gain, infant birth weight and maternal compliance and side effects Both groups received iron supplementation. No comparisons allowed within the scope of this review. |
|
| Cook 1990 | 200 women were randomly assigned to receive 50 mg iron daily given either as Gastric Delivery System (GDS) or conventional ferrous sulphate. Gastrointestinal side effects were evaluated. The participants were non-pregnant women. |
|
| Dawson 1987 | 42 healthy women with less than 16 wks of pregnancy were randomly assigned to receive either a multiple micronutrient supplement containing 65 mg of elemental iron or one multiple micronutrient supplement with no iron, calcium, zinc and copper and pantothenic acid. Both groups received different multivitamin/multi mineral supplement formulations. No comparisons allowed within the scope of this review. |
|
| Dijkhuizen 2004 | 170 pregnant women with less than 20 wk gestation from 13 adjacent villages in a rural area in Bogor District, West Java, Indonesia were randomly assigned to receive daily supplementation with B-carotene (4.5 mg), zinc (30 mg), both, or placebo containing iron (30 mg) and folic acid (0.4 mg). Both groups received iron and folic acid. No comparisons allowed within the scope of this review. |
|
| Dommisse 1983 | 146 pregnant women with less than 20 wks of gestation were randomly allocated to receive either a multivitamin tablet twice a day or a multivitamin tablet in conjunction with a standard ferrous sulphate tablet twice a day providing a total of 120 mg of elemental iron daily. Both groups received a multivitamin supplement. No data can be extracted from the published article. |
|
| Edgar 1956 | 179 pregnant women with Hb levels below 105 g/L and more than 16 wks of gestation volunteered for this study and were divided into four supplementation groups according to the stage of pregnancy: 16th week, 20th week, 24th week, and non-supplemented controls. 37% of these women were lost to follow up and were excluded from the final analysis. Data are presented without standard deviation. No data can be extracted from the publication for this review. |
|
| Ekstrom 1996 | 176 pregnant women attending Ilula Lutheran Health Center's antenatal service in Iringa region, Tanzania with 21-26 wks of gestational age and haemoglobin > 80 g/L were randomly assigned to receive 120 mg elemental iron as ferrous sulphate in conventional form or 50 mg elemental iron as gastric delivery system (GDS). Both groups received iron supplementation in different preparations. No comparisons allowed within the scope of this review. |
|
| Fenton 1977 | 154 pregnant women with less than 14 wks of gestation, and who had not received or were receiving treatment for a blood disorder were divided into 2 groups according to the day in which they attended the clinic in Cardiff: group 1 received 60 mg of ferrous sulphate and group 2 received placebo. Haemoglobin concentration, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), serum ferritin, serum iron and total iron binding capacity were measured at 10-14 wk and at term. The data in the paper are presented with no standard deviation values. No data can be extracted from the publication for this review. |
|
| Fleming 1974 | 146 consecutive pregnant women attending a public antenatal clinic in Western Australia before the 20th week of gestation who had not received iron supplements and were willing to participate were randomly assigned in sequences of 50 to one of the 5 interventions groups: group 1 received placebo; group 2 received 60 mg of elemental iron as ferrous sulphate; group 3 received 0.5 mg of folic acid; group 4 received 60 mg of elemental iron as ferrous sulphate and 0.5 mg of folic acid; and group 5 received 60 mg of elemental iron as ferrous sulphate and 5 mg of folic acid. Supplementation with iron was from 20th week of gestation until delivery. All women had received 50 mg of ascorbic acid daily from the first visit until week 20th. More than 20% of the women were lost to follow up. No data can be extracted from the publication for this review. |
|
| Fleming 1986 | 200 apparently healthy primigravidae Hausa women living in Zaria, Nigeria and planning to deliver in Zaria, with less than 24 wks of gestation, who had not taken any antimalarial treatment or iron supplements in current pregnancy were randomly assigned to one of five groups: group 1: received no active treatment; group 2: received chloroquine 600 mg base once, followed by proguanil 100 mg per day; group 3 received in addition to chloroquine and proguanil, 60 mg elemental iron daily; group 4 received in addition to chloroquine and proguanil, 1 mg of folic acid daily, and group 5: in addition to chloroquine and proguanil received 60 mg of elemental iron and 1 mg of folic acid daily. Eighty-nine out of 200 women delivered in the hospital and no other complete clear data can be extracted for the outcomes of interest in this review. |
|
| Fletcher 1971 | 643 pregnant women attending antenatal clinic in London were randomly assigned to one of two groups: group 1 received 200 mg of ferrous sulphate daily; group 2 received 200 mg of ferrous sulphate with 5 mg of folic acid daily. Both groups received iron. No comparisons allowed within the scope of this review. |
|
| Foulkes 1982 | 568 apparently healthy pregnant women with less than 20 wks of pregnancy and no prior iron supplementation were allocated alternatively to receive 100 mg of elemental iron and 350 ug of folic acid daily or no treatment. Ferritin and haemoglobin concentrations were measured at baseline and at 28 and 36 wks of gestation and 2 days postpartum. Mean corpuscular volume and mean corpuscular haemoglobin were measured at 2 days postpartum. Only means and median are presented. No standard deviation is shown and for ferritin concentrations no ln-transformed data are presented. No data were extractable from the paper and subsequent communication with author. |
|
| Freire 1989 | 412 non-black pregnant women with 26 ± 2 wks of gestation, who had not received iron supplements in the previous 6 months, from low SES using the prenatal unit of Quito's public obstetric hospital, Ecuador were randomly assigned to receive two tablets containing 78 mg of elemental iron as ferrous sulphate daily or placebo during a period of 2 months. Overall loss to follow up rate was 41.7%. Haemoglobin, PCV, red cell indices, serum ferritin, total iron binding capacity, serum folate, serum vitamin B12 at baseline and after 2 months. Prevalence of iron deficiency was estimated by response to therapy. No prespecified outcomes from this review are presented in the paper. No further data were available. |
|
| Gomber 2002 | 40 apparently healthy women with singleton pregnancy in their second trimester (between 16-24 wks of gestation), living in urban slums, from low socio-economic status attending Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, Delhi, India were randomly assigned to receive one tablet containing 100 mg of elemental iron as ferrous sulphate with 500 ug of folic acid daily or once a week. Weekly intake was supervised. Duration of supplementation was 100 days. Haemoglobin and haematocrit concentrations at baseline, at 4 wks, 8 wks and 14 wks of supplementation, serum ferritin concentration, at baseline, at 14 wks of supplementation and at delivery.
No prespecified outcomes in this review are reported. Serum ferritin values is reported as log transformed values but no standard deviations are presented. |
|
| Goonewardene 2001 | 92 pregnant women from 14-24 wks of gestation attending the university antenatal clinic, in Galle, Sri Lanka were randomly assigned to one of three regimens: group 1 (n = 26) received a tablet containing 100 mg of elemental iron as ferrous fumarate, with additional micronutrients once a week; group 2 (n = 35) received the same tablet but three times a week; and group 3 (n = 31) received the same supplement in a daily fashion. All groups were receiving multiple micronutrients. No comparisons allowed within the scope of this review. |
|
| Gopalan 2004 | 900 pregnant women of poor socio-economic status females attending government antenatal care clinics were grouped in three groups: group 1 (n = 300) received routine antenatal care; group 2 (n = 300) received 100 mg of elemental iron and 500 ug folic acid daily from the 20th week of gestation and group 3 (n = 300) received 100 mg of elemental iron and 500 ug folic acid daily from the 20th week of gestation and additionally 900 mg of alpha linolenic acid from the 22nd week of gestation. Outcomes assessed included birth weight, low birth weigh, premature delivery. The study is not reported as randomised and is excluded in the first screening for eligibility. |
|
| Gringras 1982 | 40 pregnant women attending antenatal care clinic were given a tablet containing 47 mg of elemental iron, as ferrous sulphate and 0.5 mg of folic acid daily or a tablet containing 100 mg of elemental iron as ferrous glycine sulphate daily. Both groups received iron. No comparisons allowed within the scope of this review. |
|
| Groner 1986 | 40 pregnant women attending antenatal care at the Adolescent Pregnancy Clinic and Obstetrics Clinics at the John Hopkins and Sinai Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, USA at or before 16 wks of pregnancy with haematocrit equal or above 31% were randomly assigned to one of two groups: group 1 (n = 16) received 60 mg of elemental iron as ferrous fumarate and prenatal vitamins daily; or group 2 (n = 9) received only the prenatal vitamins with no iron. Two women objected to the randomisation and 13 dropped out of the study. Both groups received multiple micronutrients. Supplementation lasted a month. Psychometric tests (arithmetic, total digit span, digit symbol, vocabulary and others) were performed and hematologic status was measured at baseline and after a month. Hematologic outcomes cannot be extracted from the paper. None of the other outcomes were sought. |
|
| Guldholt 1991 | 192 pregnant women were consecutively randomised to receive one of two treatments: group 1: received a daily vitamin-mineral tablet containing 15 mg of elemental iron or group 2: received a daily vitamin-mineral tablet containing 100 mg of elemental iron. Both groups received iron in different doses. No comparisons allowed within the scope of this review. |
|
| Hampel 1974 | 65 untreated and 54 treated pregnant women in West Berlin, Germany were assessed during pregnancy for haemoglobin concentrations, iron an folate levels, total iron binding capacity, and red cell count. No data are presented for outcomes prespecified in the review. Women were of different gestational age. No outcomes can be extracted from the paper. |
|
| Hawkins 1987 | No report available of the study results. |
|
| Hermsdorf 1986 | 120 unselected pregnant women were given 114 mg of elemental iron daily from week 15 until delivery, or not treatment. Only an abstract with insufficient data available. |
|
| Hoa 2005 | 202 apparently healthy pregnant women 20-32 years of age attending health clinics from 12 communes in Dong HungDistrict, Thai Binh Province, Vietnam with 14-18 wks of gestation who agreed to participate in the study were selected to participate. Women were assigned through block randomly assigned to one of 4 interventions: group 1 (n = 44) received 400 ml fortified milk with iron (ferrous fumarate), vitamin C and folic acid daily; group 2 (n = 41) received 400 ml of milk fortified with vitamin C and folic acid but no iron daily; group 3 (n = 40) received one tablet containing 60 mg of elemental iron (as ferrous sulphate) and 250 ug of folic acid daily and group 4 (n = 43) received one placebo tablet daily. For purposes of this review groups 3 and 4 comparing iron and folic acid supplements to placebo could be included. However, no data on outcomes of interest could be extracted from the published report. |
|
| Horgan 1966 | 42 apparently healthy pregnant women attending two antenatal care clinics in London, England were assigned to one of three interventions: group 1 received 200 mg ferrous sulphate with 5 mg of folic acid three times a day; group 2 received 350 mg of ferrous aminoate with 50 ug of folic acid three times a day; and group 3 received 200 mg of ferrous sulphate with 500 ug of folic acid once a day. Intervention period was 3 wks. All groups received iron and folic acid. No comparisons allowed within the scope of this review. |
|
| Hosokawa 1989 | 84 anaemic women seeking antenatal care in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of the Fukui School of Medicine Hospital, Japan were randomly assigned to receive 100 mg of elemental iron as ferrous sulphate daily after the evening meal, or the same dose + vitamin C for 4 wks. Both groups received iron. No comparisons allowed within the scope of this review. |
|
| Iyengar 1970 | 800 pregnant women with less than 24 wks of gestation and Hb > 85 g/L in India were assigned by rotation to one of four groups: group 1 received placebo tablets; group 2 received 30 mg of elemental iron as ferrous fumarate in a single tablet daily; group 3 received 30 mg of elemental iron as ferrous fumarate with 500 ug of folic acid in a single tablet; and group 4 received in addition to iron and folic acid, 2 ug of vitamin B12 in a single tablet. Loss to follow up was 65%. None of the pre-specified outcomes in the protocol was reported and no data were extractable from the paper. |
|
| Kaestel 2005 | 2100 pregnant women (22 +/- 7 wk gestation at entry) attending antenatal clinics in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau or who were identified by The Bandim Health project were randomly assigned to receive daily multi micronutrient tablet containing one Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of 15 micronutrients, or daily multi micronutrients containing two times the RDA except for iron that was maintained at one RDA or a conventional prenatal daily iron (60 mg) and folic acid (400 ug) supplement. All groups receive iron and folic acid daily. No comparisons allowed within the scope of this review. |
|
| Kann 1988 | 36 healthy non-anaemic pregnant women in second or third trimesters of gestation were randomly assigned to receive one of four prenatal commercial multivitamin/multi mineral preparations daily: Stuartnatal 1+1; Stuart Prenatal; Materna; and Natalins Rx. All participants received multiple micronutrients. No comparisons allowed within the scope of this review. |
|
| Kumar 2005 | 220 pregnant women with a singleton pregnancy and Hb between 80-110 g/L at 16-24 wk gestation from New Delhi, India were randomly allocated to receive daily oral iron therapy of 100 mg elemental iron as ferrous sulphate with 500 ug folic acid or 250 mg of iron sorbitol intramuscularly and repeated at an interval of 4-6 wks. This trial compares the effects of daily oral iron with two injections of high dose parenteral iron. No comparisons allowed within the scope of this review. |
|
| Madan 1999 | 109 apparently healthy pregnant women with 16-24 wks of gestation who had not received iron supplements were randomly assigned to one of three groups: group 1 received 60 mg of elemental iron + 0.5 mg of folic acid once daily; group 2 received 120 mg of elemental iron + 0.5 mg of folic acid once daily; group 3 received 120 mg of elemental iron twice daily + 0.5 mg of folic acid. Duration of supplementation was 12-14 wks. All participants received iron and folic acid daily. No comparisons are allowed within the scope of this review. |
|
| Mbaye 2006 | 1035 pregnant women attending mother and child health clinics near the town of Farafenni, The Gambia were randomised to receive either folic acid (500-1500 ug/day) together with oral iron (47 mg of ferrous sulphate per tablet) or oral iron alone (60 mg of ferrous sulphate per tablet) daily for 14 days. All women received treatment with three tablets of SP (25 mg of pyrimethamine and 500 mg of sulfadoxine). Both groups received iron daily. No comparisons allowed within the scope of this review. |
|
| McKenna 2002 | 102 healthy pregnant women attending antenatal clinics at the Royal Jubilee Maternity Hospital in Belfast, Ireland with a singleton pregnancy and haemoglobin > 104 g/L and known gestational age of less than 20 wks who were non-compliers with routine prescription of 200 mg of ferrous sulphate daily, were randomly assigned to receive 2 sachets of 24 ml each of Spatone® water containing 10 mg of elemental iron or placebo. Participants were instructed to take the two sachets daily half an hour before breakfast diluting it in orange juice. Primary outcomes were compliance and side effects. Duration of intervention was from week 22 to week 28 of gestation. |
|
| Menon 1962 | 273 healthy pregnant women with 16-24 wks of gestation and haemoglobin concentrations at or above 105 g/L attending antenatal care clinics were divided in order in which they were registered in three groups: group 1 was given 5 g of ferrous sulphate daily; group 2 received 5 mg of folic acid daily; and group 3 received 5 g of ferrous sulphate and 5 mg of folic acid daily. All participants were given 3 multivitamin tablets daily containing vitamin A, vitamin B, C and D. The study was not randomised. |
|
| Milman 2005 | 427 healthy Danish pregnant women living in the northeastern part of Copenhagen County, Denmark were randomly allocated to receive iron (as ferrous fumarate) in daily doses of 20 mg (n = 105), 40 mg (n = 108), 60 mg (n = 106), and 80 mg (n = 108) from 18 wks of gestation. Hemoglobin (Hb), serum ferritin, and serum soluble transferrin receptor concentrations were measured at 18 wks (inclusion), 32 wks, and 39 wks of gestation and 8 wks postpartum. All women received iron daily. No comparisons allowed within the scope of this review. |
|
| Morgan 1961 | 356 pregnant women attending two different antenatal care clinics at the King Edward Memorial Hospital for Women in Subiaco, Australia received according to the clinic they visited, either no treatment or 100 mg of elemental iron as ferrous gluconate daily. No systematic allocation was used in this open trial. |
|
| Morrison 1977 | 105 pregnant women attending the University Unit, Mater Misericordiae Mothers' Hospital, South Brisbane, Australia, with normal height, weight and nutrition for the Australian population and with no previous adverse medical, surgical or obstetrical history were allotted by random selection to one of four types of supplements: group 1 received 50 mg of elemental iron as dried ferrous sulphate daily; group 2 received 80 mg elemental iron as dried ferrous sulphate with 300 ug of folic acid daily; group 3 received 105 mg elemental iron as ferrous sulphate and group 4 received 105 mg of elemental iron as ferrous sulphate with 300 ug of folic acid. All groups received iron daily. No comparisons allowed within the scope of this review. |
|
| Mumtaz 2000 | 191 anaemic pregnant women between the ages of 17-35 years of age, and uneventful obstetric history attending the Maternity wing of the Federal Government Services Hospital in Islamabad and the Maternal & Child Health Clinic at the Christian Mission Hospital in Taxila, Pakistan were randomly assigned to one of two interventions: group 1 received 200 mg of ferrous sulphate (40 mg elemental iron) with 1 mg of folic acid once daily; and group 2 received 200 mg of ferrous sulphate with 1 mg of folic acid on two days of the week and placebo the rest of the days. Subjects and care providers were blinded to the treatments. Outcomes measured included haemoglobin concentration and serum ferritin at baseline and during the three following consecutive visits as well as compliance and weight. Change in haemoglobin Z-scores after supplementation was the main outcome variable, in women from different gestational ages and duration of intervention, thus not allowing outcomes prespecified in this review. |
|
| Nguyen 2008 | 167 pregnant women with less than 20 wks of gestation who called either Motherisk General Information line or the Motherisk Nausea and Vomiting of Pregnancy (NVP) Helpline (Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto) and had not started taking or had discontinued any multivitamin due to adverse events were randomly assigned to one of two groups: group 1 were provided, PregVit® (a small-size, containing 35 mg elemental iron as ferrous fumarate and multivitamins; or group 2 who received Orifer F® (high iron content, small size) containing 60 mg elemental iron as ferrous sulphate and multivitamins. Follow-up interviews documented pill intake and adverse events. Participants from both groups received iron in different amounts and compounds. |
|
| Nogueira 2002 | 74 low-income pregnant adolescents ranging from 13-18 years of age attending antenatal care at the Evangelina Rosa Maternity Hospital in Teresina, Piaui State, Brazil were distributed into five groups: group 1 received 120 mg elemental iron as ferrous sulphate and 250 ug of folic acid daily; group 2 received 80 mg elemental iron as ferrous sulphate and 250 ug folic acid daily; group 3 received 120 mg of elemental iron, with 5 mg of zinc sulphate and 250 ug of folic acid daily; and group 4 received 80 mg of elemental iron as ferrous sulphate, with 5 mg of zinc sulphate and 250 ug of folic acid daily. All groups received iron and two groups received zinc in addition to iron and folic acid. No comparisons allowed within the scope of this review. |
|
| Ogunbode 1984 | 80 apparently healthy non-anaemic pregnant women attending University College Hospital and Inalende Maternity Hospital in Ibadan, Nigeria during the first and second trimesters of pregnancy were randomly allocated to one of two groups: group 1 (n = 39) received one tablet Ferrograd Folic 500 Plus® daily, a sustained-released formulation containing ferrous sulphate and folic acid (composition is not available); or group 2 (n = 41) received a capsule containing 200 mg ferrous sulphate and 5 mg of folic acid. All patients were also provided 25 mg weekly of pyrimethamine throughout pregnancy as an anti-malarial agent. Patients who became anaemic during pregnancy were excluded of the study and analysis. Outcomes measured included reticulocyte count, haematocrit, anaemia, side effects. Both groups received iron and folic acid supplements, thus making the comparisons not suitable for this review. |
|
| Ogunbode 1992 | 315 apparently healthy pregnant women attending four prenatal care clinics in 4 geographical areas of Nigeria with mild to moderate anaemia (as defined by haematocrit between 26%-34%) and 18-28 wks of gestation, single pregnancies, no complications and who consented to participate in the study were randomly allocated to one of two groups: group 1 (n = 159) received one daily capsule of a multiple micronutrient supplement Chemiron® containing 300 mg of ferrous fumarate, 5 mg folic acid, 10 ug vitamin B12, 25 mg of vitamin C, 0.3 mg magnesium sulphate and 0.3 mg of zinc sulphate; group 2 (n = 156) received a capsule containing 200 mg ferrous sulphate and 5 mg of folic acid. All patients were also provided 600 mg of cloroquine to be taken under supervision and 25 mg weekly of pyrimethamine throughout pregnancy. Patients who became anaemic during pregnancy were excluded of the study and analysis. Outcomes measured included blood haemoglobin, anaemia, haematocrit, serum ferritin levels, side effects. A second published study followed these same women and their infants. Both groups received iron and folic acid supplements, thus making the comparisons not suitable for this review. |
|
| Ortega-Soler 1998 | 41 healthy pregnant women, attending prenatal care clinics at Hospital Diego Paroissien in La Matanza, Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina with serum ferritin below 50 mg/mL. Women were assigned to one of two groups: group 1 received 100 mg of elemental iron daily as ferric maltosate, and group 2 received no treatment.
Supplementation started at 21 +/- 7 wks of gestation until birth. Maternal outcomes measured included: haemoglobin, erythrocyte protoporphyrin, serum ferritin at baseline and term, dietary intake. The iron intake was unsupervised and compliance was not reported. The trial is not randomised nor quasi randomised so it does not fill the inclusion criteria for this review. |
|
| Osrin 2005 | 1200 healthy pregnant women with a singleton pregnancy and less than 20 wk gestation attending an antenatal clinic at Janakpur zonal hospital in Nepal, were randomly assigned to receive routine daily iron (60 mg) and folic acid (400 ug) supplements or a multiple micronutrient supplement containing 15 vitamins and minerals including iron (30 mg) and folic acid (400 ug). Both groups received iron and folic acid. No comparisons allowed within the scope of this review. |
|
| Payne 1968 | 200 pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in Glasgow, Scotland with less than 20 wk gestation, whose antenatal care was undertaken wholly by the hospital antenatal clinic and who subsequently had a normal delivery, were randomly allocated to receive 200 mg of ferrous sulphate daily or 200 mg of ferrous sulphate with 1.7 mg of folic acid daily throughout pregnancy. Both groups received iron. No comparisons allowed within the scope of this review. |
|
| Pena-Rosas 2003 | 116 pregnant women of 10-30 wk of gestational age attended antenatal care clinics in Trujillo, Venezuela were randomly allocated to receive a 120 mg oral dose of iron as ferrous sulphate and 0.5 mg of folic acid weekly (n = 52) or 60 mg iron and 0.25 mg folic acid and a placebo twice weekly (n = 44). Haemoglobin, hematocrit, serum ferritin and transferrin saturation were estimated at baseline and at 36-39 wk of gestation. All groups received iron and folic acid in two intermittent regimens with no control group. No comparisons allowed within the scope of this review. |
|
| Picha 1975 | In a randomised double-blind study the new effervescent iron tablet Loesferron® was tested in 57 postpartum women. The participants were not pregnant women. |
|
| Quintero 2004 | 107 healthy pregnant women with 6-20 wks of gestation who had not received iron supplements during the current pregnancy attending 19 health units in the State of Morelos, Mexico were randomly assigned by block pairs to receive either 120 mg of elemental iron as ferrous sulphate in a single dose daily or once weekly. Haemoglobin concentration, prevalence of anaemia and nutrient consumption at baseline and after 10 wks of supplementation were measured. None of the prespecified outcomes of this review were available. Gestational ages were variable among the participants. |
|
| Ramakrishnan 2003 | 873 pregnant women living near Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico with less than 13 wks of gestation who did not use micronutrient supplements were randomly assigned to receive a daily multiple micronutrient supplement or a daily iron-only supplement. Both supplements contained 60 mg of elemental iron as ferrous sulphate. Supplement intake was supervised by trained workers from registration until delivery by home visits 6 days a week. No comparison allowed within the scope of this review. |
|
| Rayado 1997 | 394 healthy non-anaemic adult pregnant women with 24-32 wks of gestation and singleton pregnancy from Fuentalabra, Spain were randomly assigned to one of two groups: group 1 received 40 mg of elemental iron as iron mannitol albumin daily; and group 2 received 40 mg elemental iron as iron protein succinylate daily. Both groups received iron daily. No comparisons allowed within the scope of this review. |
|
| Reddaiah 1989 | 110 pregnant women attending the antenatal clinic at Comprehensive Rura Health Services Project Hospital, Ballabgarh, India, with 16-24 wks of gestation were randomly assigned to one of three groups: group 1 received 60 mg elemental iron and 0.5 mg of folic acid daily; group 2 received 120 mg elemental iron with 0.5 mg of folic acid daily; and group 3 received 240 mg elemental iron and 0.5 mg of folic acid daily. Elemental iron was given as ferrous sulphate. All groups received iron daily. No comparisons allowed within the scope of this review. |
|
| Roztocil 1994 | 84 non-anaemic pregnant women at Mazarik University Brno in Czech Republic were treated from 20-24 wks with one capsule of Actiferrin Compositum®, and from 36 wks to delivery with 2 capsules. The group was compared with 57 non-anaemic pregnant women who received no supplements. The supplement contained 34.5 mg of elemental iron as ferrous sulphate, 0.5 mg of folic acid, and 0.3 mg of cyanocobalamin. No comparisons allowed within the scope of this review. |
|
| Rybo 1971 | 117 pregnant women between 20-29 wks of gestation were alternatively assigned during three consecutive two wks periods to receive daily tablets containing 200 mg of elemental iron as ferrous sulphate, 200 mg of elemental iron as a sustained released iron or placebo. After each 2-wks treatment period women were questioned about possible side effects. No side effects are reported by group assigned. No comparisons are allowed within the scope of this review. |
|
| Sandstad 2003 | 233 pregnant women attending their second antenatal care visit at the University Health Services of Oslo, Norway with serum ferritin concentration < 60 ug/L were randomised to two different iron preparations, group 1 received one tablet containing 60 mg of elemental iron as ferrous sulphate daily; group 2 received three tablets each containing 1.2 mg of heme iron from porcine blood plus 8 mg of elemental iron as ferrous fumarate per tablet (total 3.6 heme iron and 24 mg elemental iron) daily. A third group (n = 93) of pregnant women who had been given advice to take or not the iron supplements according to the centre recommendations were enrolled in the trial at 6 wks postpartum and served as control. The study groups were not randomised to the interventions and no comparisons can be made within the scope of this review. |
|
| Seck 2008 | 221 apparently healthy pregnant women, had not used iron supplements prior to enrolment, who were 12 to 16 wks were recruited from six health centres in Dakar, Senegal during their first prenatal visit, and randomly assigned to receive either a prescription to purchase iron/folic acid tablets to be taken daily, according to official policy, or to receive free tablets. Compliance was assessed 20 wks after enrolment through interviews and pill count. All women received iron. No comparisons allowed within the scope of this review. |
|
| Shatrugna 1999 | 115 healthy pregnant women with 20-28 wks of gestation attending the antenatal clinic of the National Institute of Nutrition, Government Maternity Hospital, India were randomly assigned to one of 11 different formulations and doses of iron and then undergo iron tolerance tests. They received ferrous sulphate tablets containing 60 mg, 12 mg, and 180 mg of elemental iron; formulations containing 60 mg of elemental iron as pure ferrous sulphate salt, ferrous fumarate tablets, ferrous fumarate syrup, excipients added to pure ferrous sulphate salts; powdered ferrous sulphate tablets, iron tablets distributed by the National Nutritional Anaemia Prophylaxis Programme and pure ferrous salt in gelatin capsules. |
|
| Simmons 1993 | 376 pregnant women with ages between 16-35 y, with mild anaemia (Hb concentrations between 80-110 g/L) attending eight maternal and child health centres in Kingston, St. Andrews and Spanish Town, Jamaica, with gestational age between 14-22 wks were randomly assigned to one of three groups: group 1 received one placebo tablet daily; group 2 received 100 mg of elemental iron as ferrous sulphate daily; group 3 received gastric delivery system capsule containing 50 mg of elemental iron daily. All women received 400 mg of folic acid. Outcomes measure included haemoglobin, haematocrit, MCV, white cell count, serum iron, total iron binding capacity, serum ferritin, serum transferrin receptor, at baseline, at 6 wks and at 12 wks after start of supplementation as well as side effects. No prespecified outcomes are presented at the paper as gestational ages differed in the participants. |
|
| Sjostedt 1977 | 300 pregnant women attending the Maternity Welfare Center, in Oulu, Finland before the 5th month of pregnancy were randomly assigned to one of three interventions: group 1 received 100 mg of elemental iron daily as sustained-release tablets daily; group 2 received 200 mg of elemental iron daily as sustained-release tablets and group 3 received 200 mg of elemental iron daily as rapidly disintegrating ferrous sulphate tablets. All groups received iron in different doses and formulations. |
|
| Sood 1979 | 151 healthy pregnant women with Hb > 50 g/L who had not received iron supplements during the last 6 months from Delhi and Vellore, India were divided in one of three strata according to Hb concentration (50-79 g/L; 80-109 g/L;110 g/L and above) and within each strata were allocated randomly to one of five interventions: group 1 received 120 mg of elemental iron as ferrous sulphate 6 days a week; group 2 received 100 mg of elemental iron as iron dextran complex intramuscular twice per week; group 3 received iron as group 1 + pteroylmonoglutamic acid 5 mg/d 6 days a week + cyanocobalamin 100 ug intramuscular once per 14 d; group 4 received 100 mg of elemental iron intramuscular + pteroylmonoglutamic acid + cyanocobalamin 100 ug intramuscular; and group 5 received iron dextran complex intramuscular in a single total dose infusion + 5 mg/d pteroylmonoglutamic acid + 100 ug intramuscular cyanocobalamin once per 14 days. All groups received iron at different doses and routes. No comparisons allowed within the scope of this review. |
|
| Steer 1992 | Trial abandoned. No data available. |
|
| Stone 1975 | 248 healthy pregnant women attending hospital antenatal clinic in London, England, were allocated randomly to receive a slow-release dose of 105 mg of elemental iron as ferrous sulphate and 350 ug of folic acid daily or 80 mg of elemental iron as ferrous fumarate and 400 ug of folic acid daily in a standard preparation. Both groups received iron in different doses and preparations. No comparisons allowed within the scope of this review. |
|
| Suharno 1993 | 251 pregnant women aged 17-35 years, parity 0-4 and haemoglobin concentrations between 80 and 109 g/L were randomly allocated to one of four groups: group 1 received 2.4 mg of retinol and one placebo iron tablet daily; group 2 received 60 mg of elemental iron as ferrous sulphate and a placebo vitamin A tablet daily; group 3 received 2.4 mg of retinol and 60 mg of elemental iron; and group 4 received two placebos for 8 wks. Outcomes measured include: haemoglobin, haematocrit, serum ferritin, serum iron, total iron binding capacity, serum retinol, transferrin saturation, at baseline and after 8 wks of supplementation. None of the pre-specified outcomes in this review can be extracted from this paper. |
|
| Tampakoudis 1996 | 82 pregnant women with haemoglobin concentrations 140 g/L or above attending clinic in Thessaloniki, Greece were randomised to receive 80 mg iron protein succinylate daily or a placebo. Serial haemoglobin, haematocrit and serum erythropoietin were measured from maternal blood and cord blood on delivery; serum ferritin measured in frequent intervals. Abstract only available. Insufficient information to assess characteristics of the trial. |
|
| Tan 1995 | 285 healthy middle-class pregnant women with haemoglobin concentration above 100 g/L attending antenatal clinic at the University Hospital at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia were assigned to receive daily iron supplements or no treatment. Abstract only available. No additional information was available, including doses, regimens and other characteristics of the trial. |
|
| Tange 1993 | 128 anaemic and non-anaemic pregnant females aged 10-19 years old, with an average gestation of 16 wks, were grouped for three levels of iron supplementation: group 1 (n = 42 non-anaemic participants) received placebo (no iron); group 2 (n = 41 anaemic and non-anaemic participants) received 22 mg of elemental iron daily and group 3 (n = 45 anaemic and non-anaemic participants) received 55 mg elemental iron daily. Women were supplemented from 16 wks until delivery. Outcomes assessed included Hb, haematocrit, red cell count, mean corpuscular volume, serum iron, serum transferring and serum, ferritin measured every four wks. The study is not reported as randomised and is excluded in the first screening for eligibility. |
|
| Thane-Toe 1982 | 135 healthy pregnant women between 22-28 wks of gestation attending antenatal clinic in Burma, were randomly assigned to receive a daily dose of 60 mg, 120 mg or 240 mg of elemental iron as ferrous sulphate. A control group was composed by 47 apparently healthy adults (17 males and 30 single women). Control groups are not appropriate. No comparisons allowed within the scope of this review. |
|
| Tholin 1993 | 83 healthy nulliparous non vegetarian, non-anaemic pregnant women with serum ferritin concentrations above 10 ug/L were randomly assigned to one of three groups: group 1 received 100 mg of elemental iron as ferrous sulphate daily; group 2 received placebo, and group 3 received dietary advice only. Blood haemoglobin, serum ferritin and blood manganese were determined at baseline before 15th week of gestation, between 25-28 wks, and between 35-40 wks of gestation. Median and ranges are presented. No outcomes were extractable from this report for this review. |
|
| Thomsen 1993 | 52 healthy non-anaemic nulliparous women with normal singleton pregnancy and serum ferritin levels above 15 mg/L at 16th week in Herlev, Denmark were randomly assigned to receive either a daily tablet containing 18 mg or a daily tablet containing 100 mg of elemental iron from 16 wks until delivery. All women received 0.3 mg of folic acid daily. All women received iron in different doses. No comparisons allowed within the scope of this review. |
|
| Vogel 1963 | 191 consecutive pregnant when attending antenatal care clinics and at 32 wks of gestation were divided in two groups by alternate allocation by clinic: group 1 received 140 mg of elemental iron daily as ferrous gluconate in four tablets; group 2 received 150 mg elemental iron daily as ferrous glutamate in 3 tablets. All women received iron in different dose and number of tablets. No comparisons allowed within the scope of this review. |
|
| Wali 2002 | 60 iron deficiency anaemic pregnant women with the gestational age of 12-34 wks were randomly assigned to one of 3 groups: Group A (n = 15) received intravenous 500 mg of iron sucrose for storage; group B (n = 20) received intravenous iron sucrose according to deficit calculated as per formula with 200 mg of iron was given for storage and group C received intra muscular iron Sorbitol in the dose used as practice. All groups received iron intravenous or intramuscular. |
|
| Willoughby 1966 | 350 consecutive pregnant women attending antenatal care clinic were allocated to one of five groups: group 1 received no hematinic supplements; group 2 received 105 mg of elemental iron daily as iron chelate aminoates; group 3 received 105 mg of elemental iron daily with 100 ug of folic acid; group 4 received 105 mg of elemental iron daily with 300 ug of folic acid; and group 5 received 105 mg of elemental iron daily th 450 ug of folic acid. All women received a multivitamin preparation (Vivatel) free of folic acid. |
|
| Willoughby 1968 | 68 pregnant women attending antenatal care clinic in Queen Mother's Hospital in Scotland, were randomly allocated to receive 195 mg of elemental iron alone daily or 195 mg of elemental iron in conjunction with 300 ug of folic acid daily. |
|
| Wu 1998 | 369 pregnant women attending antenatal care at Beijing Hospital, China were divided into two groups according to their initial haemoglobin concentrations. Women with Hb 110 g/L or above were randomly assigned to one of two groups: group 1 (n = 96) received one daily tablet of maternal supplement containing 60 mg of elemental iron in addition to other micronutrients including calcium and magnesium ; group 2 (n = 95) served as control and received no supplements. Another group of women with Hb < 110 g/L (treatment group) were randomly assigned to one of three groups: group 1 received 1 tablet of maternal supplement daily; group 2 received 0.9 g of ferrous sulphate daily; and group 3 received one tablet of Ferroids, a sustained released preparation daily. In the preventive group, women entered the study from 20-24 gestational wks. In the treatment groups, women less than 36 gestational wks were accepted. No comparisons allowed due to the addition of other micronutrients in the treatment. |
|
| Zhou 2007 | 180 anaemic women (Hb < 110 g/L) attending antenatal care at the Children, Youth and Women's Health Service, Adelaide, Australia with 24-32 wks of gestation and a singleton pregnancy. Women were excluded if they were taking iron or vitamin and mineral supplements, had presumptive diagnosis of non iron deficiency related anaemia, history of thalassaemia, drug or alcohol abuse and/or diabetes requiring insulin or a known fetal abnormality. Women were randomly assigned to receive a daily dose of 20, 40 or 80 mg of elemental iron as ferrous sulphate for 8 wks or until birth. The primary outcomes measured were Hb levels, anaemia at the end of the intervention and gastrointestinal side effects during treatment. All women received iron at different doses. No comparisons allowed within the scope of this review. |
|
| Zittoun 1983 | 203 pregnant women attending antenatal clinic in Paris, France, with 28 +/- 2 wks of gestation were studied. Women with Hb below 110 g/L (n = 48) were provided 105 mg of elemental iron and 500 mg of ascorbic acid daily. Women with Hb concentration above 110 g/L were randomly assigned to receive 105 mg of elemental iron and 500 mg of ascorbic acid daily until delivery or placebo. Iron was provided in conjunction with vitamin C. No comparisons allowed within the scope of this review. |
|
| Zutshi 2004 | 200 apparently pregnant women with 24-26 wks of gestation, with singleton pregnancy with moderate anaemia (Hb > 80 g/L and < 110 g/L) were randomly assigned to receive injectable iron-sorbitol-citrate in three intramuscular doses of 150 mg each at 4 wks intervals or 100 mg of elemental iron daily. Haemoglobin concentrations were measured at baseline, every 4 wks and at delivery. The study compares two routes of iron administration. Both groups receive iron. No comparisons allowed within the scope of this review. |
