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Effect of iron therapy on the whole blood platelet aggregation in infants with iron deficiency anemia
A E Kürekçi1, A A Atay, S U Sarící
1Department of Pediatrics, Gülhane Military Medical Academy, Ankara, Turkey. ekurekci@superonline.com
Insights
Iron deficiency anemia in infants impairs platelet aggregation, affecting blood clotting. Oral iron therapy effectively reverses this dysfunction, restoring normal platelet function.
Area of Science:
- Hematology
- Pediatric Medicine
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is common in infants.
- Platelet function may be affected in IDA.
- The impact of IDA on platelet aggregation requires further elucidation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate platelet aggregation alterations in infants with IDA.
- To assess the effect of oral iron therapy on platelet function in IDA.
- To compare platelet aggregation in IDA patients with healthy controls.
Main Methods:
- Whole blood samples from 25 infants with IDA and 12 controls were analyzed.
- Platelet aggregation was measured using impedance aggregometry.
- Stimulation was performed with adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and collagen at various concentrations.
- Measurements were taken before and after oral iron therapy in the IDA group.
Main Results:
- IDA infants showed significantly altered platelet aggregation (higher maximum aggregation, lower aggregation times) compared to post-therapy values.
- Oral iron therapy significantly improved platelet aggregation parameters in IDA infants.
- Post-therapy, IDA infants' platelet aggregation closely resembled that of the control group.
- Platelet counts and mean platelet volume also normalized after iron therapy.
Conclusions:
- IDA in infants can cause ex vivo whole blood platelet aggregation dysfunction, even without overt platelet abnormalities.
- Iron therapy is effective in reversing platelet aggregation dysfunction in pediatric IDA.
- Further research into iron-containing enzymes is recommended to understand the underlying mechanisms of IDA-related platelet dysfunction.
Abstract:
This study was performed to investigate the platelet aggregation alterations in whole blood samples of infants with iron deficiency anemia. Platelet aggregation induced by various concentrations of adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and collagen was studied with impedance aggregometry in 25 patients before and after oral iron therapy and in 12 children of the control group. The posttreatment mean maximum aggregation values were significantly higher (p<0.01) and the posttreatment mean aggregation times were significantly lower (p<0.01) in the study group at all concentrations of ADP and collagen. The aggregation time and maximum aggregation values revealed no significant difference except for the maximum aggregation value at 5 microM ADP (p<0.05) between the study group after therapy and the control group. The differences between the pretreatment and posttreatment mean platelet counts and mean platelet volume values in the study group were statistically significant (p<0.01), whereas those values in the study group after therapy and in the control group were not significantly different. We conclude that iron deficiency anemia in infants, even without clinically meaningful platelet abnormality, may cause dysfunction of the ex vivo whole blood platelet aggregation, and can be reversed by iron therapy. Further studies should be carried out at the enzymatic level to determine whether this platelet aggregation dysfunction in iron deficiency anemia is due to a deficiency in the activation of iron-containing enzymes.
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