Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42183880›Full record

SynthesisEuropean journal of pediatrics2026

Safety and efficacy of liposomal iron for iron deficiency anemia in pediatric population: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Abdullah M Alharran, Esraa Yousef Almutairi, Waleed Bader Alazemi, Fatemah Adel Alnejadah, Hasan S Hasan, Layal AlOufan, Asayel M Alsultan, Hala AlOmar, Maryam Alqayem, Joy Maasarani and 3 more

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in European journal of pediatrics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Abdullah M AlharranCollege of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain. dr_alharran@outlook.com.
Esraa Yousef AlmutairiKuwait Institute for Medical Specialization, Kuwait City, Al Asimah, Kuwait.
Waleed Bader AlazemiFaculty of Medicine, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan.
Fatemah Adel AlnejadahKuwait Institute for Medical Specialization, Kuwait City, Al Asimah, Kuwait.
Hasan S HasanKuwait Institute for Medical Specialization, Kuwait City, Al Asimah, Kuwait.
Layal AlOufanKuwait University, Kuwait City, Kuwait.
Asayel M AlsultanKuwait Institute for Medical Specialization, Kuwait City, Al Asimah, Kuwait.
Hala AlOmarSchool of Medicine, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland - Medical University of Bahrain (RCSI-MUB), Busaiteen, Bahrain.
Maryam AlqayemSchool of Medicine, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland - Medical University of Bahrain (RCSI-MUB), Busaiteen, Bahrain.
Joy MaasaraniSchool of Medicine, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland - Medical University of Bahrain (RCSI-MUB), Busaiteen, Bahrain.
Aljazi AlohalySchool of Medicine, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland - Medical University of Bahrain (RCSI-MUB), Busaiteen, Bahrain.
Pearla AwadSchool of Medicine, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland - Medical University of Bahrain (RCSI-MUB), Busaiteen, Bahrain.
Abdullatif AlfehaidSchool of Medicine, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland - Medical University of Bahrain (RCSI-MUB), Busaiteen, Bahrain.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) remains a public health problem in children. Conventional iron therapy is effective but often causes gastrointestinal adverse effects that reduce adherence. Liposomal iron has been developed to enhance absorption and improve tolerability. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the efficacy and safety of liposomal iron compared with conventional iron formulations in pediatric patients with IDA. We searched PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library up to February 21, 2026 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing liposomal iron with conventional oral iron in children with IDA. Analyses were performed using R software with the meta package. Continuous outcomes were pooled as mean differences (MDs) and dichotomous outcomes as risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using a random-effects model. Subgroup analyses according to follow-up duration. Four RCTs involving 454 children were included. At 6 months, liposomal iron produced a significantly greater increase in hemoglobin compared with conventional iron (MD 0.96 g/dL, 95% CI 0.09-1.82; P = 0.03), although heterogeneity was substantial (I

Indexed as

Anemia, Iron-DeficiencyIronChildHumansLiposomesRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicTreatment OutcomeIronLiposomesChildrenIron deficiency anemiaLiposomal ironMeta-analysisPediatricsRandomized controlled trial

Identifiers

PMID42183880

What OpenQuestion holds

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.