Anaemia is a condition caused by a lack of red blood cells or haemoglobin.

The most common reason for developing anaemia is not having enough iron.

Haemoglobin is a protein found in red blood cells. It captures oxygen from the lungs and carries it around the body.
A key ingredient used to make haemoglobin is iron. If there isn’t enough iron stored in the body, the amount of haemoglobin drops.
When haemoglobin reaches a low level, less oxygen can be carried in the blood.

This can cause symptoms such as:

• tiredness
• breathlessness
• heart palpitations
• weakness
• headache
• dizziness
• chest pain
• irritability

There are several reasons why you might not have enough iron in your body:

• there might not be enough iron in your diet
• your gut may not absorb enough iron from your food (even if you have an iron-rich diet)
• your iron requirements might be so high that you can’t get enough from your diet (your baby needs a lot of extra iron when it’s growing in the womb.
  It gets the iron from you, which means that your own iron stores can become lower)
• you may lose iron through bleeding, such as by having heavy periods before pregnancy, or because you have another medical condition.

It is possible to have more than one of these causes, especially during pregnancy.

In fact, over 20% of pregnant women in Europe are anaemic during pregnancy!

As anaemia is so common during pregnancy, all women in the UK are screened for anaemia at their booking visit and at 28 weeks of pregnancy.

Anaemia can be detected by a simple blood test.

As anaemia is so common in pregnancy, your GP will routinely check your haemoglobin levels.

All pregnant women are screened for anaemia at their first booking visit and at 28 weeks of pregnancy.

If you are at an increased risk of anaemia, you may be screened more frequently.

Diet

A good balanced diet is vital to make sure you receive enough iron.
The most easily absorbed iron comes from red meat, fish, and poultry. However, other vegetarian options exist, including lentils, fortified cereals, and green leafy vegetables, such as spinach.

Vitamin C can help your body absorb iron from food; this is found in orange juice and other fruits and vegetables.

Some foods can reduce your ability to absorb iron, so they should be avoided around the time you eat iron-rich foods and/or take your iron tablets. These include tea, coffee, and foods containing calcium, such as milk and other dairy products and alternatives, some seeds, pulses, and vegetables, and many multi-vitamin tablets.

Iron Tablets

Oral iron tablets are very effective at replacing the iron needed for haemoglobin levels to rise. Some iron tablets also come with folic acid and Vitamin C, which helps with the absorption of iron from the gut.

The recommended tablets for treating iron deficiency anaemia are ferrous sulphate tablets. How well these iron tablets work is greatly affected by how they are taken. The best way to maximise their effectiveness is to take a tablet with orange juice one hour before meals. If you don’t drink orange juice, then another drink containing Vitamin C will also work. Your midwife or doctor will be able to advise you on alternative drinks.

Your GP or midwife will give you further guidance on how many iron tablets to take per day.

What Ferinject© is given for:

Ferinject© is given for the treatment of patients with iron deficiency when oral iron preparations are ineffective or cannot be used. The aim of the therapy is to replenish the body’s iron stores and remedy anaemia, a reduced level of haemoglobin due to iron deficiency. It is also used when there is a clinical need to deliver iron rapidly.

Before administration, your doctor will perform a blood test to calculate the dose of Ferinject© you require.

Before you are given Ferinject©

When you must not be given Ferinject©:
- If you are hypersensitive (allergic) to ferric carboxymaltose or any of the other ingredients in Ferinject©,
- If you have anaemia not caused by iron deficiency,
- If you have iron overload (too much iron in your body) or disturbances in the utilization of iron.

You must tell your doctor if:

- You are under the age of 14 years,
- You have an infection, asthma, eczemas, allergies, or liver disorders,
- You are pregnant or breastfeeding,
- You have or have had low levels of phosphate in the blood.

You should be aware that:

Intravenous iron preparations can cause severe allergic reactions. These allergic reactions may include chest pain. Tell your doctor immediately if you experience it.

How Ferinject© is given

Your doctor can administer Ferinject© by three possible routes:
- Undiluted by injection,
- During haemodialysis,
- Or diluted by infusion.

By injection, you may receive up to 20 mL of Ferinject©, corresponding to 1000 mg of iron, once a week directly into the vein.

Your doctor will take responsibility for determining the appropriate dose and choosing the method, frequency, and duration of your treatment.
You may be re-assessed after 4 weeks to determine whether you need more Ferinject© injections.
Ferinject© will be administered in a setting where possible allergic reactions can receive appropriate and prompt treatment.

You will be observed for about 30 minutes by your doctor or nurse after each administration.

Possible Unwanted Effects

Like all medicines, Ferinject© can cause unwanted effects, although not everybody gets them.
Clinical studies have reported side effects that are either common (occurring in less than 1 in 10 and more than 1 in 100 patients) or uncommon (occurring in less than 1 in 100 and more than 1 in 1000 patients).
The following symptoms were common:
- Headache
- Dizziness
- High blood pressure
- Nausea
- Injection/infusion site reactions
- Low blood phosphate levels.

Disclaimer:

Rere Ora Infusion Clinic is an independent healthcare provider and is not affiliated with the manufacturer of Ferinject©.

The clinic administers Ferinject© as part of its services; however, any inquiries or concerns related to Ferinject© as a product should be directed to the manufacturer.

For further information about our services, please contact Rere Ora Infusion Clinic directly using the "Send Us a Message" form provided below.