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Iron status of infancy and early childhood in south Taiwan
S S Chiou1, T T Chang, J J Perng
1Department of Pediatrics, Kaohsiung Medical College, Taiwan, Republic of China.
Insights
Iron deficiency affects 34% of South Taiwanese children aged 3-36 months, with most cases occurring between 6-36 months. Hematological parameters are less reliable for diagnosing iron deficiency without anemia.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Nutritional Science
- Hematology
Background:
- Iron deficiency is a prevalent nutritional deficiency in infants and young children globally.
- Early detection and management are crucial to prevent long-term health consequences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the iron status of infants and young children in South Taiwan.
- To determine the prevalence of iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia in different age groups.
- To assess the diagnostic value of hematological parameters.
Main Methods:
- Serum iron, total iron binding capacity, and serum ferritin levels were measured.
- Hematological parameters including hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit, mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), and mean corpuscular volume (MCV) were analyzed.
- Subjects were divided into age groups: 2 months, 3-6 months, 6-12 months, 12-24 months, and 24-36 months.
Main Results:
- Overall prevalence of iron deficiency was 34% in children aged 3-36 months.
- Iron deficiency without anemia was 22.9%, and iron deficiency anemia was 11.1%.
- Prevalence increased with age, with most cases (96.9%) occurring between 6-36 months.
- Hematological parameters showed limited diagnostic accuracy for iron deficiency, especially in cases without anemia.
Conclusions:
- Iron deficiency is a significant public health concern in South Taiwanese children aged 3-36 months.
- Age-specific monitoring and assessment are essential.
- While low hematological values warrant investigation, normal values do not rule out iron deficiency.
Abstract:
The iron status of 206 infants and young children in South Taiwan were evaluated by measurements of serum iron, total iron binding capacity, serum ferritin, and hematological parameters of peripheral blood including hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit, mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), and mean corpuscular volume (MCV). 18 subjects aged 2 months were included in the study and no iron deficiency was found in this group. Four groups of the other subjects aged between 3 and 36 months were studied; A: 3-6 months, 28 subjects, B: 6-12 months, 29 subjects, C: 12-24 months, 91 subjects, D: 24-36 months, 40 subjects. Prevalence of iron deficiency in those between 3 and 36 months was 34%, including iron deficiency without anemia 22.9% (n = 43) and iron deficiency anemia 11.1% (n = 21). Most cases (96.9%) of iron deficiency occurred in the infants and children aged 6-36 months. Iron deficiency without anemia in the A, B, C and D groups was 3.6%, 17.2%, 25.3%, 35.0% respectively and iron deficiency anemia were 3.6%, 17.2%, 12.1%, 10.0% respectively. Hematological parameters are less valuable in diagnosis of iron deficiency, with accuracy of 68.8%, 63.8%, 68.8%, 64.3% respectively for these four groups. These parameters decline significantly in the iron deficiency anemia group, but not in the iron deficiency without anemia group. Low levels (Hb less than 11 g/dl, hematocrit less than 33%, MCH less than 24 pg, MCV less than 72 fl) are indicators of a need to search a cause of anemia, especially iron deficiency anemia in infants and children with ages between 3 and 36 months, but normal values do not exclude iron deficiency.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)