you provide informed consent and undergo initial assessments that include a physical performance test called the short physical performance battery, a quality‑of‑life questionnaire (eq‑5d‑5l), and basic cognitive checks.

blood samples are taken to confirm iron deficiency and to document your cardiovascular condition.

based on the study design you are randomly assigned to one of three groups: intravenous iron, oral iron, or placebo.

if you are in the intravenous iron group you receive a single infusion of 20 ml of ferric carboxymaltose solution (each ml contains 50 mg of iron). the infusion is administered through a vein over a short period.

if you are in the oral iron group you take one tablet of 80 mg ferrous sulfate (providing 247.25 mg of elemental iron) once each day. the tablet is a prolonged‑release formulation, meaning the iron is released slowly over time.

if you are in the placebo group you receive either a 20 ml infusion of 0.9 % sodium chloride (a saline solution) or oral placebo tablets, matching the route of the active treatments.

you continue the assigned medication for a total period of twelve months.

for the oral groups you take the tablet every day as instructed; for the intravenous group no further infusions are required after the initial dose.

throughout the year you attend scheduled study visits where health professionals check for side effects, record any falls, and note days spent in hospital.

the visits also allow collection of additional blood samples to monitor iron status.

at the end of the twelve‑month period you repeat the short physical performance battery and the eq‑5d‑5l questionnaire.

the total number of falls you experienced and the total days you were hospitalized during the treatment period are recorded.

final blood tests are performed to assess iron levels.

after the month‑12 assessment no further study medication is provided.

your participation concludes with the collection of the final data.