Iron supplementation in women: impact of frequency on efficacy and tolerability

McDonald et al talk about iron supplementation in women. Iron deficiency is a common condition affecting an estimated 11.1% of UK women aged 15-49 years. First-line treatment is generally oral (PO) supplementation, which is also known to cause gastrointestinal (GI) side effects in up to 70% of patients. Oral iron compounds contain iron in either ferrous or ferric forms. Hepcidin is the main regulator of iron homeostasis and high serum hepcidin (sHep) levels reduce bioavailability of PO iron. Hepcidin binds to ferroportin receptors on cell surfaces, blocking their effect by endocytosis and degradation.