Anemia and Iron Deficiency according to Feeding Practices in Infants Aged 6 to 24 Months

  • Published : 1998.01.01

Abstract

The prevalence of iron deficiency in later infancy and the toddler years(25% to 40% at 1 year of age) has not decreased remarkably , except in Western countries. The purpose of this study was to 1) determine the relationship between current feeding practices and iron status, and 2) assess compliance to infant feeding instructions. Two groupsof infants were examined. The first group of 302 infants aged 6 to 24months was seen at a well baby clinic while the second group of 135 infants of the same age group was assessed by venipuncture. Cutoff values for laboratory tests were as follows ; hemoglobin<11g/dL, mean corpuscular volume (MCV) <72fl ; red cell distribution width(RDW)>15% ; serum ferritin level<10ng/ml ; and transferrin saturation (serum iron(TIBC)<10%. The diagnosis of iron deficiency anemia (IDA) was made when a low hemoglobin level was associated with either low ferritin orlow transferrin saturation . Of the 302 children brought to the well baby clinic , 12.3%(n=37) were found to have anemia (hemoglobin<11.0/dL). In terms of children grouped according to feeding practices, it was found that children with anemial comprised 32.0% (24/75) of the prolonged breast-fed group (Group A), significantly more than the 4.0%(7/176) of the artificial milk feeding group(Group B). and 3.9%(2/51) of the switched from breast milk to iron -fortified weaning foods group(Group C).Among the 107 children with IDA , iron deficiency in 105 children(98.1%) was suggested by their dietary histories ; exclusive or prolonged breast-feeding for more than 6 months without iron fortification in 98 infants ; cow's milk consumption> 500ml/day without iron fortification during infancy(n=12), or >800ml without iron-fortified foods after infancy(n=15) ; and the use of unfortified forumula or unbalanced diets, mainly limited to rice gruel. Despite the relatively high (79.6%) motivation on the part of the infants mothers and supervison by professional personnel, the poor results in the infants receiving iron fortified foods were due to poor compliance(85.75). Among the mothers of 98 IDA patients who were contacted by telephone , it was revealed that 29% did not give the oral iron preparation for more than 2 months. Furthermore, negligence or disregard by the parents occurred in 14% of the case , discontinuance of the oral iron preparation by the parents due to side effects occurred in 6%, and the children's refusal or poor oral intake and no further trial occurred in 6%. The dietary history of a large group of infants was highly predictive of their risk for anemia . Continued consumption of breast milk until the age of 1 year is not warranted unless iron-fortified foods are given concomitantly. Because there is a problem with compliance, more successful and safe strategies for preventing iron deficiency woold included dual coverage in the from of therapeutic iron supplementation as well use of iron-fortified foods for teddlers who are at risk of iron deficiency.

Keywords

References

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