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Updated: Jul 17, 2026
Infant Auditory Processing and Event-related Brain Oscillations
Published on: July 1, 2015
Effects of iron deficiency versus iron deficiency anemia on brainstem auditory evoked potentials in infancy
A Emin Kürekçi1, S Umit Sarici, Abdulbaki Karaoglu
1Department of Pediatrics, Gülhane Military Medical Academy, Ankara, Turkey.
Insights
This study found no significant effect of iron deficiency (ID) on brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEPs) in infants. Auditory function remained normal in infants with ID and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) even after iron treatment.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pediatrics
- Hematology
Background:
- Iron deficiency (ID) is common in infants and plays a role in myelin formation.
- The impact of non-anemic ID on auditory function and brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEPs) remains largely uninvestigated.
- It is hypothesized that ID may affect BAEPs, potentially showing intermediate results between iron deficiency anemia (IDA) and iron sufficiency.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of ID on BAEPs in infants.
- To compare BAEPs in infants with ID, IDA, and iron sufficiency (control group).
- To assess changes in BAEPs before and after iron treatment in infants with ID and IDA.
Main Methods:
- A comparative study involving three groups of infants: IDA (n=25), ID (n=24), and control (n=44).
- Hematological parameters and BAEPs were measured at the study's start and after 12 weeks of oral iron treatment for the ID and IDA groups.
- BAEPs were recorded at 85 dB.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in BAEP measurements were observed among the three groups at any point.
- Iron treatment successfully improved iron status in the ID and IDA groups.
- A slight decrease in latencies was noted post-treatment in all groups, consistent with age-dependent developmental changes.
Conclusions:
- The study found no evidence of negative electrophysiological effects of non-anemic iron deficiency on infant brainstem auditory function.
- Further long-term research is needed to understand the relationship between ID, anemia, and auditory functions, and their clinical implications.
Abstract:
There has been little or no evidence of brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEPs) among infants with iron deficiency (ID) that is not severe enough to cause anemia. To our knowledge, the effect of ID on auditory functions and/or potentials has not been investigated previously, though it seems reasonable that it should be associated with BAEP measures intermediate between those observed in iron deficiency anemia (IDA) and in iron sufficiency, considering the role of iron in myelin formation and maintenance. We therefore aimed in this study to investigate the effect of ID on BAEPs by comparing three groups of infants with ID, IDA and iron sufficiency (control) both before and after iron treatment (in iron-deficient groups). Three groups of infants (IDA, n = 25; ID, n = 24; Control, n = 44) were compared on the basis of hematological laboratory parameters and BAEP measurements both at entry into and after (12 weeks treatment with oral iron in IDA and ID groups) the study. BAEP measurements recorded at 85 dB both at entry into and after the study were not significantly different among the groups, although a sufficient response to iron treatment was achieved in iron-deficient groups (Group I and Group II). The only positive finding determined in our study was a slight decrease in latencies obtained at the end of the study when compared to the pre-study values in all three groups of the study in accordance with the expected age-dependent developmental changes. Although no negative electrophysiological effect of ID on brainstem auditory functions was found in the present study, further longer term (late childhood or adult) studies are necessary to elucidate the relationships among anemia (maybe other than IDA), ID and auditory functions, and clinical implications of hearing loss (if any) should be questioned.
