Register for Iron supplements may relieve unexplained tiredness in young women
AnemiaJune 19, 2003
2003 JUN 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Unexplained tiredness is common in young women. Researchers have now found that nonanemic women with fatigue may benefit from taking an iron supplement.
The study took place in Switzerland and involved 136 women aged 18-55 who consulted a doctor with fatigue, but who were not anemic. They were divided into two groups; one group took a daily iron supplement while the other took a dummy (placebo) pill for 4 weeks.
After 1 month, the level of fatigue decreased by 29% in the iron group compared with 13% in the placebo group.
This is the first trial in women of childbearing age to show that iron supplements could have an effect on fatigue in the absence of anemia, say the authors. The effect may, however, be restricted to women with low or borderline concentrations of iron in their blood.
Identifying iron deficiency without anemia as a potential cause of fatigue is important, say the authors. It may avoid symptoms being wrongly attributed to emotional causes or life stressors and thereby reduce unnecessary use of healthcare resources. Instituting iron therapy early may also improve quality of life, they concluded (Iron supplementation for unexplained fatigue in nonanaemic women: double blind randomized placebo controlled trial. Br Med J, 2003;326:1124-6). This article was prepared by Blood Weekly editors from staff and other reports.
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