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Supplemental food may not prevent iron-deficiency anemia in infants

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Abstract

Objective

The present study evaluates the role of supplementary food and medicinal iron intake in preventing irondeficiency anemia in children aged between 4 to 6 months.

Methods

During a case-control study in “Tabriz Children Hospital”, nutritional and medicinal-iron intake of 60 consecutivelyselected patients with iron-deficiency anemia were compared with 60 non-anemic children of similar age and sex distributions.

Results

The mean hemoglobin concentration, corpuscular volume and serum iron were 9.11 g/dl, 65.41 fL and 19.33 μg/dl, in case group; and 12.6 g/dl, 75.18 fL and 78.28 μg/dl, in control group, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between age of case and control groups when complementary-semisolid foods were started (P=0.058), but the mean of received medicinal iron in case group was significantly lower than control group (P<0.001).

Conclusion

Supplementary food intake alone is not efficient to prevent iron deficiency anemia since the age of 4–6 months. So, regular administration of medicinal iron is crucial to prevent iron-deficiency anemia in children aged 4–6 months.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Tabriz Children Hospital, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran

    Ziaaedin Ghorashi & Afshin Ghalehgolab Behbahan

  2. Young Researchers Club, Tabriz Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, Iran

    Nariman Nezami & Sona Ghorashi

  3. Drug Applied Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran

    Nariman Nezami

  4. Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, Iran

    Nariman Nezami & Sona Ghorashi

  5. Clinical Pharmacy Laboratory, Drug Applied Research Center, Pashmineh, Daneshgah Street, Tabriz, Iran

    Nariman Nezami

Authors
  1. Ziaaedin Ghorashi
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  2. Nariman Nezami
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  3. Afshin Ghalehgolab Behbahan
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  4. Sona Ghorashi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nariman Nezami.

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Ghorashi, Z., Nezami, N., Ghalehgolab Behbahan, A. et al. Supplemental food may not prevent iron-deficiency anemia in infants. Indian J Pediatr 75, 1121–1124 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12098-008-0191-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12098-008-0191-6

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