The Effect of Iron Therapy on the Growth of Iron‐replete and Iron‐deplete Children

Abstract

This prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was designed to study the effect of iron therapy on the growth of iron-replete and iron-deficient children, and to study the change in iron status in iron-deficient children with iron therapy. One hundred and fifty children (aged 6-24 months) were included in the study. After an informed written consent, 100 healthy children, who were iron replete (group I) according to preset criteria, were randomly allocated to receive iron supplements 2 ng/kg/day (group IA) or placebo (group IB). Fifty iron-deficient children (group II) were administered iron syrup 6 mg/kg/day. Growth parameters (weight, length and head-circumference) and hematological parameters were studied for 4 months. Iron therapy, as compared with placebo, produced a significant improvement of mean monthly weight gain (p < 0.001) and linear growth (p < 0.001) in the iron-deficient children. However, it significantly decreased the weight gain (p < 0.001) and linear growth (p < 0.001) of iron-replete children. Caution should therefore be exercised while supplementing iron to children with apparently normal growth and when the iron status of the child is not known.

Ethiopian pre-school children consuming a predominantly unrefined plant-based diet have low prevalence of iron-deficiency anaemia

“…Our findings have important programmatic implications in that programmes intended to correct Fe status must go beyond assumptions and predictive models. Screening for Fe status biomarkers needs to be considered, especially given the potential adverse consequences of Fe provision to Fe-replete children (48)(49)(50) .…”

Strategies to avoid the loss of developmental potential in more than 200 million children in the developing world

“…Government-supported preschool programmes for child ren are increasing; in the past 15 years, at least 13 develop ing countries have instituted compulsory preschool or pre-primary programmes. 9 By 2005, the World Bank had financed loans to 52 developing countries for child develop ment programmes, for a total of US$1680 million, at least 30 developing countries had policies on early child development, 10 and UNICEF was assisting governments in supporting parenting programmes in 60 countries. 10 Despite this interest, there have been few systematic evaluations of early child development programmes in developing countries.…”

“…28 Concerns have been raised about giving iron supple ments to iron replete infants, eg, decreased linear growth 29,30 or increased hospitalisations and death in a malarial region. 31 These issues should be studied further and need to be considered in public health programming.…”

Tratamento da anemia ferropriva com ferro quelato glicinato e crescimento de crianças na primeira infância

“…Estudos demonstram efeito positivo da suplementação com ferro sobre a velocidade de crescimento linear tanto de peso [22][23][24] como de estatura 22,[25][26][27] , e também resultados inexpressivos com a suplementação 28 . Entretanto Bhandari et al 29 , em uma revisão da literatura, afirmam que a suplementação de um único micronutriente tem mínimo ou nenhum efeito sobre o crescimento linear e especificamente em relação ao ferro, o impacto da suplementação é mais observado em crianças anêmicas.…”