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Abstract
Summary. Introduction. Fatigue is a key symptom of iron deficiency anemia (IDA), and a number of studies have assessed quality of life (QoL) using validated questionnaires before and after treatment. Aim: to study the medical and social profile and QoL parameters in patients with IDA to assess the therapy effectiveness. Materials and Methods. A prospective study enrolled 120 women of reproductive age with mild IDA (hemoglobin concentration 110–119 g/L). All patients received ferrous sulfate at a dose of 100 mg twice daily. The QoL was assessed using the European Quality of Life Questionnaire (EQ-5D); for self-assessment of patients’ own health, a component of the EQ-5D questionnaire — the European Quality of Life Visual Analog Scale (EQ-VAS) — was additionally used. The survey was conducted before treatment initiation, at days 15, 30 and 60 after completion of therapy to assess QoL changes during IDA treatment. The clinical therapy effectiveness was assessed based on clinical and laboratory parameters — complete blood count, serum iron and ferritin levels. For data analysis, descriptive statistics methods were used, as well as the Mann-Whitney test, the χ2 test and correlation analysis. Results. The average age of the examined patients was 35.2 ± 7.8 years, average body mass index — 23.1 ± 3.4 kg/m2. Among them, 46 (38.3%) were constant smokers, 58 (48.3%) had a history of childbirth, 65 (54.17%) had previously received iron therapy. According to EQ-VAS, the average health status score was 70.13 ± 14.5 points before therapy and 77.58 ± 10.9 points after completion of therapy on day 60 which was higher than the national average population health status (72.4 points) according to the visual analog scale (VAS) quality of life. Before therapy, 10.08% of patients experienced issues with mobility and 30.25% — with daily activities, 51.7% had anxiety/depression, and 31.93% experienced pain or discomfort. After therapy, 5% of patients reported issues with mobility, 10.0% with daily activities, 24.17% with anxiety and depression, and 20.83% with pain or discomfort. Correlation analysis revealed a strong positive association between serum iron levels and the QoL domains: “Activities of Daily Living” (r ≈ 0.98), “Pain/Discomfort” (r ≈ 0.94), and “Anxiety/Depression” (r ≈ 0.93). A negative correlation was observed between EQ-VAS and serum iron concentration, as well as with the QoL domains (r from –0.85 to –1.00), reflecting an improvement in subjective well-being with increasing iron levels. Conclusion. A clinical and laboratory evaluation of the treatment effectiveness was conducted, demonstrating improvements in QoL in patients with IDA, accompanied by positive changes in laboratory parameters. The EQ-5D questionnaire is informative for assessing QoL and the progress of treatment based on VAS.
For citation: Bakirova A.E., Partsernyak A.S., Ratnikova A.K., Kudlay D.A. Quality of life assessment in patients with iron deficiency anemia. Tromboz, gemostaz i reologiya. 2025;(4):76–83. (In Russ.).
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