Anemia in premature infants can be prevented by prophylactic treatment with
recombinant human erythroprotein (r-huEPO). r-HuEPO as been used for a lon
time in patients wit end-stage renal failure. The main factor which can li
mit r-HuEPO efficiency is limited iron bioavailability. Adapted iron supple
mentation is needed when preterm infants receive r-HuEPO in order to avoid
the depletion of iron stores. Oral iron supplementation is simple but indig
estibility is frequent. Furthermore, the intestinal absorption and utilizat
ion of oral iron is limited. Parenteral iron supplementation is possible in
infants who ar very pre-trm as they are parenterally fed during the first
weeks of life. There are various preparations of intravenous iron with diff
erent physicochemical properties. Toxicity and side-effects of parenteral i
ron preparations depend on these properties. Two parenteral iron preparatio
ns are available in France: iron-saccharate (Venofer(R)) andiron-dextrin (M
altofer(R)). Iron delivery and possible side-effects of these preparations
are different and need to be considered before use in preterm infants. (C)
1999 Elsevier Paris.