Study of the effect and safety of oral lactoferrin therapy for functional iron deficiency anemia in prevalent hemodialysis patients

Abstract

Background The commonly available therapeutic approaches for treating anemia of chronic kidney disease include oral and IV iron supplementation and erythropoiesis-stimulating agents. Lactoferrin, an iron-binding glycoprotein, has been studied for its effect on iron homeostasis. Aim of the work To study the effect and safety of oral lactoferrin therapy for functional iron deficiency anemia in prevalent hemodialysis patients. Patients and methods This is an interventional case–control study, conducted at Ain Shams University Hospital hemodialysis unit on 70 prevalent hemodialysis patients, who were divided into two groups: (Group A): 35 patients with functional iron-deficiency anemia, who received lactoferrin together with the recommended dose of ESA therapy for 3 months, (Group B): 35 patients with functional iron-deficiency anemia, who received only their recommended dose of ESA therapy for 3 months. Results Both groups were age and sex-matched. Both groups showed a significant improvement in their hemoglobin, ferritin, and iron levels after 3 months’ follow-up, with no difference between both groups. No significant difference was noticed in either WBCs or platelets during the study period. Conclusion Oral lactoferrin failed to show a superior effect on ESAs alone and could not be used as a substitute to totally replace IV iron supplementation in hemodialysis patients with FID.