Data extraction

Variables assessed included the study’s characteristics, such as the year of publication, the country where the study was conducted, sample size, study design, and study duration through a standardized data collection form. The compliance outcomes in terms of rates and/or percentages were extracted from the included articles. Health outcome measures such as serum ferritin levels, cardiac and iron loading, endocrine related complications, and health-related quality of life were collected and tabulated accordingly.