Abstract

Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is a prevalent and challenging complication among individuals with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), greatly influencing their quality of life and the management of their condition. Ferric carboxymaltose (FCM) has surfaced as an effective therapeutic alternative, providing enhanced safety and tolerance in comparison to oral iron treatments and other intravenous options. Although current research has highlighted the promising benefits of FCM, there is still a need for a systematic review that consolidated data from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to offer a more precise and comprehensive understanding of its relative efficacy and safety. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of FCM among adult patients with IDA related to IBD. Furthermore, the hematological outcomes and the tolerance of patients receiving FCM were compared to other oral iron formulations, intravenous iron formulations, and placebo. Five RCTs (n = 1,007) met the inclusion criteria. Pooled analysis showed that FCM significantly increased hemoglobin (+2.94 g/dL; 95% CI 2.14–3.74; p

Key words: Ferric carboxymaltose, iron deficiency anemia, inflammatory bowel disease, crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, systematic review, meta-analysis