Abstract
In the paediatric population, ferric carboxymaltose (FCM) is only licenced for use in children older than 14 years, and the data in younger children remains scarce. We retrospectively reviewed data of all paediatric patients less than 14 years old who had received FCM infusion from August 2011 to June 2015 at the John Radcliffe Hospital (Oxford University Hospitals), UK. The patient demographics, significant medical history, FCM dose, and blood investigations (pre-FCM and post-FCM) were reviewed. Of the 51 children, 41 had inflammatory bowel disease. There were 24 girls and 27 boys, aged 1 to 13 years, mean (SD) weight 28.4 (13.6) kg. Fifteen patients received at least one more course of FCM up to 35 months later. The time interval between pre-FCM and post-FCM investigations was 1 to 8 months. An improved, median (range) rise in blood indices following one FCM infusion was haemoglobin 2.7 (− 2.4 to 7) g/dL, serum iron 6.6 (− 0.6 to 21.1) μmol/L, and transferrin saturation 14 (− 14 to 38)%. No adverse outcomes were documented.
Conclusions: FCM was effective in increasing the key blood indices with no adverse outcomes in children less than 14 years of age, with a range of different conditions, majority with gastrointestinal disorders such as IBD.
What is Known: • Ferric carboxymaltose (FCM) given via the intravenous (IV) route has been used widely in adults for the treatment of iron deficiency anaemia. • Sparse data exists on FCM use in paediatric population, including young children |
What is New: • FCM infusion should be considered as a means of iron administration in the paediatric population less than 14 years of age • No adverse outcomes were recorded following FCM in a young paediatric population (less than 14 years of age); the majority of whom had gastrointestinal disorders |
Abbreviations
- ESR:
-
Erythrocyte sedimentation rate
- FCM:
-
Ferric carboxymaltose
- IBD:
-
Inflammatory bowel disease
- IV:
-
Intravenous
- IDA:
-
Iron deficiency anaemia
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Acknowledgements
We thank Dr. Dimple Rajgor for her assistance in editing, formatting, reviewing, and submission of the manuscript for publication.
Authors’ contributions
Michelle Li Nien Tan—conception or design of the work, drafting of the manuscript, final approval of version submitted, and agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.
Paul-Michael Windscheif—acquisition, analysis, interpretation of data for the work, critical revision, final approval of version submitted, and agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.
Graham Thornton—acquisition, interpretation of data for the work, critical revision, final approval of version submitted, and agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.
Ed Gaynor—acquisition, interpretation of data for the work, critical revision, final approval of version submitted, and agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.
Astor Rodrigues—acquisition, interpretation of data for the work, critical revision, final approval of version submitted, and agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.
Lucy Howarth—conception or design of the work, critical intellectual revision, final approval of version submitted, and agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.
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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. This article does not contain any studies with animals performed by any of the authors. Being an anonymized, retrospective review of medical records study, ethical approval was not required for the study as per the hospital policy.
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Tan, M.L.N., Windscheif, PM., Thornton, G. et al. Retrospective review of effectiveness and safety of intravenous ferric carboxymaltose given to children with iron deficiency anaemia in one UK tertiary centre. Eur J Pediatr 176, 1419–1423 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-017-2995-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-017-2995-8