Hemoglobin Values in the First Six Months of Life in Exclusively Breastfed Children

Abstract

Objective: The inexistence of publications on hemoglobin values in the first six months of life gave us the objective of describing these values, month by month in healthy, iron sufficient exclusively breastfed infants. Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study in 306 infants stratified according to age from one to six months, full-term births, weighing ≥2500 g, without intercurrences at birth, serum ferritin levels ≥10 ng/mL, followed by the public health service encouraging and supporting exclusive breastfeeding. An automated counter was used for measuring hemoglobin, and serum ferritin was determined using immunoenzymatic method. Student's t-test was used to analyze differences between means, and Mann-Whitney test when distribution was non-normal. Level of statistical significance was p < 0.05. Results: The hemoglobin values, according to gender, did not differ statistically in the different months; the results are presented without sample division according to gender. Hemoglobin means and standard deviations in g/dL were: 11.7(±1.6), 10.7(±1.5), 10.8(±1.3), 11.6(±1.5), 11.7(±1.7), and 11.8(±1.6), from the first to sixth month respectively. Conclusion: The hemoglobin values obtained in all the first six months of life, based on a healthy, exclusively breastfed infant population, may contribute to the reassessment of reference levels for the diagnosis of anemia in the studied age range.