title: Risk of bacterial infection in patients under intravenous iron therapy: dose versus length of treatment.
abstract: Some studies have suggested that intravenous iron therapy may be associated with an increased risk of infection. We analyzed the incidence of bacterial infection in 111 hemodialysis patients. Group 1 (n = 39, transferrin saturation <20%) received 10 doses of 100 mg of intravenous iron saccharate, 3 doses per week (28 treatment days); Group 2 (n = 13, transferrin saturation <20%) received 20 doses, 3 doses per week (70 treatment days); and Group 3 (n = 59, transferrin saturation 20-50%) received 10 doses, 1 dose per week (70 treatment days). The follow-up was 150 days for all groups, and all infectious episodes were recorded. Pulmonary infection was the most frequent event observed in all of the groups. In an incidence-density analysis, Group 2, which received a total of 20 doses, presented a significantly higher incidence of infection than Group 3, which received only 10 doses over the same period (0.13 versus 0.06 infections per patient per month, p = 0.04). No difference was observed between Groups 1 and 2 suggesting that the risk of infection during iron therapy is dose dependent rather than time length dependent.
authors.affiliation: Nephrology Division, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), Brazil. dialisefor@uol.com.br
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Canziani
authors.forename: S T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Yumiya
authors.forename: E B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Rangel
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Manfredi
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Neto
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Draibe
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D005290:Ferric Compounds / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000077605:Ferric Oxide, Saccharated; D005937:Glucaric Acid; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D006435:Renal Dialysis; D013395:Sucrose / Q000008:administration & dosage*
chemical_list: D005290:Ferric Compounds; D013395:Sucrose; D000077605:Ferric Oxide, Saccharated; D005937:Glucaric Acid