Low Plasma Iron Levels Associated to Drug Treatment in Polymedicated Patients: A Case-Control Study

Aim: To identify the drug class and/or duration of treatments causing hyposideremia.

Study Design: Retrospective case-control study.

Place and Duration of Study: Departments of Internal Medicine and Pharmacy, Aragón Health Services Services Hospital Real de Nuestra Señora de Gracia, between January 2019 and December 2019.

Methodology: The records of prescripted medicines of all patients admitted to Internal Medicine service, for various indications, along a 1-year period (2019), which were ultimately analized according to association with hyposideremia.

Results: It was identified several drugs associated with low plasma iron levels: acetylcysteine and apixaban, which would increase the risk of hyposideremia. On the contrary, we found that allopurinol, duloxetine and simvastatin would protect against the appearance of hyposideremia.

Conclusion: Acetylcysteine and apixaban, alone or in combination with different pathologies, would be capable of inducing, and on dependence of the duration of treatment and/or of the concomitant pathology, hyposideremia, iron deficiency and, in certain cases, anemia constituting a major health problem.