Experience and prospects of using intravenous iron preparations in pediatric practice

Iron deficiency anemia has medical and social consequences worldwide, so the treatment of iron deficiency is an important goal. Oral iron therapy may not be optimal in some clinical situations requiring rapid replenishment of iron stores or due to possible ineffectiveness or intolerance. Intravenous iron therapy is an effective method for the treatment of iron deficiency anemia. So far, the use of intravenous iron preparations in pediatric patients has been limited, despite extensive experience of their use in adults and the results of studies conducted with children that have also demonstrated the efficacy and safety of this therapeutic option in pediatric patients. First of all, it is due to concerns about a risk of severe allergic reactions which was quite high in the era of first-generation intravenous iron medicines. The emergence of a new generation of more effective and safer intravenous iron preparations, including high-dose parenteral iron products, makes this type of therapy a promising means of treatment for iron deficiency in children and adolescents.