Condition

Iron Deficiency Anemia

Most common type of anemia caused by lack of iron

1.3B
People Affected
50
Active Trials
200M
New Cases/Year
34K
Deaths/Year

Treatment Rankings

Ranked by evidence volume first. Medicine has spent centuries ranking things by vibes. This is an improvement.

1
Oral Ferrous Sulfate
85% Effectiveness• 95% Confidence• 78% Safety• 137 trials• 5M participants
HIGH EvidenceExcellent ValueDose: 65-195 mg elemental iron daily
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Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

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78
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

1-3 months for full correction

Duration

3-6 months

Response Rate

75%

Remission Rate

65%

Number Needed to Treat (NNT)

3

Number Needed to Harm (NNH)

15

Common Side Effects:

Dark stools: 100%
Constipation: 25%
Nausea/Abdominal pain: 20%
Diarrhea: 8%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$20

Monitoring

$400

Side Effects

$50

Total Annual

$470

Cost-Effectiveness

EXCELLENT

QALYs Gained

0.2

ICER

$1,000/QALY

Cost per Remission

$723

Cost per Responder

$627

Treatment Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Hemoglobin9.5 g/dL
+26% (+2.5 g/dL)
Serum Ferritin10 ng/mL
+300% (+30 ng/mL)
Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV)72 fL
+11% (+8 fL)
Fatigue Severity (FACIT-Fatigue Scale)22/52 (lower score indicates more fatigue)
+55% (+12 points)
Secondary Benefits
Transferrin Saturation10%
+200% (+20%)
Dyspnea (mMRC Scale)2/4 (higher score indicates worse dyspnea)
-50% (-1 point)
Physical Function (6-Minute Walk Test)320 meters
+25% (+80 meters)
Common Side Effects
Dark stools
+100%
Constipation
+25%
Nausea/Abdominal pain
+20%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4
2
Intravenous Ferric Carboxymaltose
90% Effectiveness• 90% Confidence• 68% Safety• 100 trials• 15K participants
HIGH EvidenceGood ValueDose: Up to 1500 mg total in 1-2 infusions
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Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
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Chemo☢️
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Morphine💊
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68
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

2-4 weeks

Duration

1-2 weeks initially, then as needed

Response Rate

85%

Remission Rate

77.5%

Number Needed to Treat (NNT)

5

Number Needed to Harm (NNH)

150

Common Side Effects:

Hypophosphatemia (often asymptomatic): 30%
Headache: 4%
Nausea: 3%
Dizziness: 2%
Injection site reactions: 1%
Hypersensitivity/Anaphylaxis: 0.1%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$1,500

Monitoring

$1,600

Side Effects

$100

Total Annual

$3,200

Cost-Effectiveness

GOOD

QALYs Gained

0.3

ICER

$60,000/QALY

Cost per Remission

$4,129

Cost per Responder

$3,765

Treatment Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Hemoglobin9.5 g/dL
+26.3% (+2.5 g/dL)
Ferritin15 ng/mL
+1000% (+150 ng/mL)
Transferrin Saturation (TSAT)10%
+200% (+20%)
Fatigue (FACIT-Fatigue score)FACIT-Fatigue score: 32/52
+25% (+8 points)
Secondary Benefits
Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV)75 fL
+13.3% (+10 fL)
Serum Iron30 µg/dL
+233.3% (+70 µg/dL)
Physical Functioning (SF-36 PCS score)SF-36 PCS score: 35/100
+28.6% (+10 points)
Common Side Effects
Hypophosphatemia (often asymptomatic)
+30%
Headache
+4%
Nausea
+3%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 3Phase 4
3
Intravenous Iron Sucrose
88% Effectiveness• 90% Confidence• 68% Safety• 46 trials• 20K participants
HIGH EvidenceGood ValueDose: Cumulative 1000 mg over several infusions
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Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
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Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
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Water💧
68
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

2-4 weeks

Duration

2 weeks initially, then as needed

Response Rate

85%

Remission Rate

77.5%

Number Needed to Treat (NNT)

5

Number Needed to Harm (NNH)

150

Common Side Effects:

Hypotension (transient): 2%
Nausea: 2%
Headache: 1%
Injection site reactions: 1%
Muscle cramps: 1%
Hypersensitivity/Anaphylaxis: 0.1%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$800

Monitoring

$2,100

Side Effects

$100

Total Annual

$3,000

Cost-Effectiveness

GOOD

QALYs Gained

0.3

ICER

$55,000/QALY

Cost per Remission

$3,871

Cost per Responder

$3,529

Treatment Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Hemoglobin9.0 g/dL
+27.8% (+2.5 g/dL)
Serum Ferritin12 ng/mL
+1158.3% (+139 ng/mL)
Transferrin Saturation (TSAT)14%
+107.1% (+15 percentage points)
FACIT-Fatigue Score22/52 (indicating severe fatigue)
+36.4% (+8 points)
Secondary Benefits
SF-36 Physical Component Summary (PCS)38/100
+15.8% (+6 points)
6-Minute Walk Test Distance360 meters
+11.1% (+40 meters)
Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV)72 fL
+12.5% (+9 fL)
Common Side Effects
Hypotension (transient)
+2%
Nausea
+2%
Headache
+1%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 3Phase 4
4
Intravenous Ferumoxytol
89% Effectiveness• 88% Confidence• 68% Safety• 11 trials• 7.5K participants
HIGH EvidenceGood ValueDose: Total 1020 mg in 2 infusions
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Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
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Chemo☢️
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68
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

2-4 weeks

Duration

1 week initially, then as needed

Response Rate

85%

Remission Rate

77.5%

Number Needed to Treat (NNT)

5

Number Needed to Harm (NNH)

150

Common Side Effects:

Diarrhea: 4%
Nausea: 3%
Dizziness: 2%
Hypotension (transient): 1%
Headache: 1%
Injection site reactions: 1%
Hypersensitivity/Anaphylaxis: 0.1%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$2,000

Monitoring

$2,100

Side Effects

$100

Total Annual

$4,200

Cost-Effectiveness

GOOD

QALYs Gained

0.3

ICER

$65,000/QALY

Cost per Remission

$5,419

Cost per Responder

$4,941

Treatment Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Hemoglobin9.5 g/dL
+26.3% (+2.5 g/dL)
Serum Ferritin10 ng/mL
+1400% (+140 ng/mL)
Transferrin Saturation (TSAT)10%
+200% (+20 percentage points)
FACIT-Fatigue Score28/52
+35.7% (+10 points)
Secondary Benefits
Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV)70 fL
+11.4% (+8 fL)
SF-36 Physical Component Summary35/100
+20% (+7 points)
Serum Iron30 µg/dL
+166.7% (+50 µg/dL)
Common Side Effects
Diarrhea
+4%
Nausea
+3%
Dizziness
+2%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 3Phase 4
5
Intravenous Iron Dextran (High Molecular Weight)
87% Effectiveness• 85% Confidence• 60% Safety• 50 trials• 10K participants
HIGH EvidenceGood ValueDose: Variable, up to 1000 mg total in single or multiple infusions
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Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
Water💧
60
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

2-4 weeks

Duration

Single dose or several days

Response Rate

85%

Remission Rate

77.5%

Number Needed to Treat (NNT)

5

Number Needed to Harm (NNH)

50

Common Side Effects:

Fever, chills, arthralgia (iron-dextran reaction): 7%
Hypotension: 2%
Nausea: 1%
Headache: 1%
Anaphylactic reactions: 0.6%
Skin staining (extravasation): 0.5%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$350

Monitoring

$2,600

Side Effects

$200

Total Annual

$3,150

Cost-Effectiveness

GOOD

QALYs Gained

0.3

ICER

$70,000/QALY

Cost per Remission

$4,065

Cost per Responder

$3,706

Treatment Outcomes
Efficacy Outcomes
Overall Effectiveness
+87%
Response Rate
+85%
Remission Rate
+77.5%
Common Side Effects
Fever, chills, arthralgia (iron-dextran reaction)
+7%
Hypotension
+2%
Nausea
+1%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 3Phase 4