What Is Iron Sucrose?

Iron sucrose is a preparation of iron hydroxide used for replenishing iron in patients being treated for various forms of kidney disease. Iron is an important component in human blood.

Function

• Iron sucrose is an intravenous drug approved for treatment of iron deficiency anemia in adult patients suffering from kidney disease and being treated with hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis and/or the hormone erythropietin. Dialysis is a procedure that takes over for the kidneys, filtering blood and removing waste. Erythropietin helps stimulate the production of red blood cells.

Significance

• Patients undergoing these treatments suffer iron deficiency from a variety of causes, such as blood loss, increased red blood cell production and poor absorption of iron from the digestive system. Iron is a necessary component of hemoglobin production. Hemoglobin is the component of blood that transports oxygen throughout the body.

Side Effects

• Side effects of iron sucrose treatment include low blood pressure, cramps, headaches, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Severe---sometimes fatal---immune system responses called hypersensitivity reactions have been reported in some patients treated with similar drugs. Although no fatal incidents were reported in clinical trials of iron sucrose, physicians should closely monitor patients receiving intravenous iron.