Beneficios del uso del hierro parenteral como alternativa eficaz en el manejo de la anemia gestacional en Colombia

Introduction. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that more than 40% of pregnant women worldwide have anemia, and that half of them suffer from iron deficiency. The prevalence of this in Latin America is 40%, and in Colombia, 44.7%. Physiologically, a problem called “dilutional anemia” occurs during pregnancy. There are conditions in pregnant women that predispose them to suffering from pathological anemia. The latter is mainly caused by iron deficiency, hence the importance of diagnosing this entity on time and starting treatment. Iron administration is the basis of treatment of anemia caused by iron deficiency. It can be administered orally, which is the preferred option in the majority of patients. However, when this is not possible, parenteral iron must be used. However, parenteral iron is rarely used as the first line of treatment of gestational anemia. The objective of this article is to carry out a review that allows for the identification of therapy with parenteral iron as an efficient alternative for the treatment for gestational anemia, considering the pharmacological characteristics, administration, and use among the different molecules available in Colombia. Methodology. We carried out a search in databases and electronic libraries. The criteria considered were texts published between 1996 and 2020 in Spanish and English. 95 articles were obtained, of which 49 were selected. The keywords for their search were physiology, parenteral iron, gestational anemia, iron deficit, pregnancy complications, iron compounds, pharmacokinetics, diagnosis, and treatment. Division of Covered Topics. Physiology; diagnostic aids; pharmacological characteristics of parenteral iron; advantages, indications, and contraindications of parenteral iron; secondary effects and application method. Conclusions. Parenteral iron is a safe and efficient treatment to handle anemia during pregnancy. The indications and pharmacology of the molecules must be considered to choose the most appropriate option. In addition, it replaces iron reserves and hemoglobin levels more quickly.