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[Developmental delay in children with iron deficiency anemia. Can this be reversed by iron therapy?]
Henedina Antunes1, Sónia Gonçalves, A Teixeira-Pinto
1Serviço de Pediatria, Hospital de São Marcos, Departamento de Psicologia, Universidade do Minho, Braga.
Insights
Iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) in infants is linked to lower developmental scores. However, iron therapy can reverse these effects, highlighting the importance of IDA prevention and treatment in early childhood development.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Nutritional Science
- Developmental Pediatrics
Background:
- Iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) is a prevalent condition in infants.
- IDA can potentially impact neurodevelopmental outcomes in early childhood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the developmental trajectories of infants with IDA versus healthy controls.
- To assess the efficacy of iron therapy in mitigating developmental deficits in infants with IDA.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the Griffith's Scale to evaluate child development at 12 and 15 months.
- Included 17 infants with IDA (receiving iron therapy) and 18 controls.
- Collected data on parental socioeconomic factors and infant feeding practices.
Main Results:
- Infants with IDA at 12 months exhibited significantly lower developmental scores compared to controls (112 vs. 121).
- Following 3 months of iron therapy, developmental scores in the IDA group normalized, showing no significant difference from controls at 15 months.
- Healthy infants showed a slight, though significant, decrease in developmental scores from 12 to 15 months.
Conclusions:
- Iron therapy effectively reverses the adverse developmental effects associated with IDA in infants.
- The findings support the justification for both preventing and treating IDA in early childhood to ensure optimal development.
Objective:
To compare development of 17 children aged 12 months with iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) and 18 controls without IDA after a 3-months follow-up period and iron therapy in the IDA group.
Subjects And Methods:
Development of all children was evaluated using the Griffith's Scale. Data was collected on parent's social class and education, breast-feeding, number of siblings and clinical nutritional status.
Results:
At 12 months children with IDA had significantly lower development scores--mean (sd)--than those without IDA: 112(5) vs. 121(7). At 15 months, after iron therapy, there were no significant differences between cases and controls. Non-IDA children showed significantly lower development scores at 15 months when compared with 12 months (121 vs 115).
Conclusions:
The study shows that iron therapy can revert some of the adverse effects in the development of children with IDA and therefore both IDA prevention and treatment can be justified.