Health
Health Experts Pitch For Intravenous Single-Dose Iron Use Among Pregnant Women And Lactating Mothers With Severe Anaemia
At a national technical consultation held at AIIMS Delhi, experts, researchers, and doctors stressed that Ferric Carboxy Maltose (FCM) administration can be a crucial intervention in addressing iron deficiency during pregnancy
New Delhi: Health experts at AIIMS on Tuesday (April 9) advocated use of intravenous single-dose iron, Ferric Carboxy Maltose (FCM), among pregnant women and lactating mothers with severe anaemia as a life-saving intervention. At a national technical consultation held at AIIMS Delhi, experts, researchers, and doctors in the field of community medicine, obstetrics and gynaecology, haematology and pharmacology stressed that FCM administration can significantly improve maternal and birth outcomes and can be a crucial intervention in addressing iron deficiency during pregnancy.
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Dr Kapil Yadav, professor in the Department of Community Medicine at AIIMS Delhi said,
The evidence on FCM use among pregnant women and lactating mothers globally and in India highlights its efficacy, safety, and the implications of its use. It’s given as single-dose injection as compared to intravenous sucrose which requires five to six injections.
According to the latest developments, the cost of this single-dose injection has come down from Rs 3,000 to Rs 300 as it is being manufactured indigenously, Dr Yadav said.
Delhi AIIMS Director Dr M Srinivas discussed the role of AIIMS in pioneering research and administration of parenteral iron since 1960s and highlighted its potential to address and manage the pressing issue of anaemia.
He encouraged researchers at AIIMS to come out with newer and better iron molecules for addressing anaemia as a health problem in India. He said,
Anaemia mukt Bharat is a high priority programme of the government and AIIMS should continue to provide technical support to the programme.
Globally, anaemia is a public health problem affecting people in both developed and developing countries. More than half a billion women aged 15-49 years (29.9 per cent) suffer from anaemia, Dr Yadav said.
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Since 2000 till date, the global prevalence of anaemia in women of reproductive age (15-49 years) has been stagnant around 30 per cent, while the prevalence of anaemia in pregnant women has decreased from 41 per cent to 36.5 per cent, Dr Yadav said.
In India, according to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5, 2019-2021) more than half of the women in the reproductive age group (57 per cent), pregnant women (52 per cent) and adolescent girls (59 per cent) have anaemia.
Haemoglobin is the commonly used indicator globally, to identify anaemia in an individual, Dr Yadav said.
Haemoglobin less than 11g/dL in pregnancy is categorised as anaemia. Anaemia during pregnancy is associated with untoward pregnancy outcomes, including increased risk for post-partum haemorrhage, still-birth, pre-term deliveries, intra-uterine growth retardation and as well as impaired cognitive and motor development among children, Dr Neena Malhotra, Head of Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at AIIMS, Delhi, said.
Dr Malhotra said,
AIIMS has been using single-dose intravenous iron for anaemia in pregnant women for the last two years and have found it to be absolutely safe and effective. Severe anaemia of pregnancy is life threatening and it is important that we, doctors and scientists, develop and deliver a solution which can be implemented across India.
Considering the pressing issue of anaemia among women, it is imperative to address the need of parenteral iron use in anaemia management among women (pregnant women and lactating mothers), she said.
Dr Yadav said,
Parenteral iron made in India could be a game changer for anaemia control in India and in particular be a life-saving drug for pregnant women with severe anaemia.
As per current estimate, 25,000 maternal deaths occur in India every year, out of which at least half are due to anaemia and are preventable, he stated.
The technical consultation also highlighted the Government of India’s recent seminal announcement of inclusion of the single-dose intravenous iron in Anaemia Mukt Bharat programme.
Dr Y K Gupta, former head of the Department of Pharmacology at AIIMS, highlighted the evolving safety and efficacy of intravenous iron.
Dr Zoya Ali Rizvi, Deputy Commissioner, In-charge Nutrition at Union Health Ministry stressed the necessity of ensuring access to parenteral iron across all levels of healthcare facilities.
She advocated for capacity building to effectively implement the technical guidelines for administering parenteral iron.
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(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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