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Iron supplementation for unexplained fatigue in non-anaemic women: double blind randomised placebo controlled trial
F Verdon1, B Burnand, C-L Fallab Stubi
1General Practice Unit, University of Lausanne, rue du Bugnon 44, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland.
Objective:
To determine the subjective response to iron therapy in non-anaemic women with unexplained fatigue.
Design:
Double blind randomised placebo controlled trial.
Setting:
Academic primary care centre and eight general practices in western Switzerland.
Participants:
144 women aged 18 to 55, assigned to either oral ferrous sulphate (80 mg/day of elemental iron daily; n=75) or placebo (n=69) for four weeks.
Main Outcome Measures:
Level of fatigue, measured by a 10 point visual analogue scale.
Results:
136 (94%) women completed the study. Most had a low serum ferritin concentration;
Conclusion:
Non-anaemic women with unexplained fatigue may benefit from iron supplementation. The effect may be restricted to women with low or borderline serum ferritin concentrations.
