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[A girl with breath-holding spells and anaemia, treated with iron supplementation]

D Mul1, L N van Veen, N van der Lely

  • 1Reinier de GraafGasthuis, afd. Kindergeneeskunde, Delft. d.mul@erasmusmc.nl

Nederlands Tijdschrift Voor Geneeskunde
|October 21, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Iron supplementation effectively treated breath-holding spells in a young child diagnosed with anemia. This intervention significantly reduced spell frequency and severity, leading to their complete resolution.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Hematology
  • Neurology

Background:

  • Breath-holding spells are common in young children.
  • Anemia is a potential comorbidity that requires investigation.

Observation:

  • A 1.5-year-old girl presented with frequent breath-holding spells.
  • The patient was also diagnosed with anemia.

Findings:

  • Iron supplementation therapy led to a marked reduction in the frequency and severity of breath-holding spells.
  • The spells completely resolved following iron supplementation.

Implications:

  • Iron deficiency anemia may be a contributing factor to breath-holding spells.
  • Iron supplementation is a potentially effective treatment for breath-holding spells in anemic children.
  • Further research is needed to elucidate the pathophysiological link between anemia and breath-holding spells.

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