Low-Dose Maintenance Intravenous Iron Therapy Can Prevent Anemia in Children with End-Stage Renal Disease Undergoing Chronic Hemodialysis

Table 2

Comparative characteristics of the treatment group versus the comparison group at the end of the study period.

Characteristics	Treatment group (n = 21)	Comparison group (n = 20)	value
Hb (g/L), mean, 95% CI	124 (118–131)	110 (103–118)	0.005
MCV (fL), mean, 95% CI	86.4 (84.2–88.6)	86.5 (82.8–90.1)	0.96
MCH (pg/cell), mean, 95% CI,	29.7 (28.2–31.3)	28.6 (27.3–29.8)	0.22
MCHC (g/L), mean, 95% CI	336 (322–346)	479 (167–791)	0.34
Absolute reticulocytes (×10^9/L), mean, 95% CI	80 (64.5–95.4)	78.94 (55.3–102.59)	0.94
Relative reticulocyte count, mean, 95% CI	0.02 (0.016–0.024)	0.02 (0.015–0.028)	0.71
SI (µmol/L), mean, 95% CI	14.8 (11.2–18.3)	11.75 (8.2–15.3)	0.22
TIBC (µmol/L), mean, 95% CI	36.8 (33.8–39.8)	36.8 (32.4–41.2)	0.99
TSAT (%), mean, 95% CI	41.8 (30.6–52.9)	34.9 (22–47.8)	0.4
Ferritin (µg/L), mean, 95% CI	1310.5 (899.7–1721.2)	1313.5 (758.9–1868.1)	0.99

CI = confidence interval, Hb = hemoglobin, MCV = mean corpuscular volume, MCH = mean corpuscular hemoglobin, MCHC = mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, SI = serum iron, TIBC = total iron binding capacity, and TSAT = transferrin saturation.