Cut-off Values of Diagnostic Indices to Detect Iron Deficiency in Chinese Breast-fed Infants

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Nutritional Science
• Hematology

Background:

• Iron deficiency anemia is a widespread nutritional deficiency globally.
• Current iron deficiency diagnostic cut-offs, often based on older children, may not be appropriate for infants.
• Accurate iron status assessment in infants is critical for early intervention and preventing long-term health issues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish precise iron status evaluation cut-off values specifically for Chinese infants.
• To address the limitations of existing iron deficiency diagnostic criteria in the pediatric population.
• To improve the early detection and management of iron deficiency in infants.

Main Methods:

• Recruitment of pregnant women with normal iron status delivering at >=37 weeks.
• Selection of healthy, breastfed infants (first 4 months) with normal birth weight.
• Analysis of blood samples for hemoglobin, serum ferritin, transferrin receptor, MCV, and erythrocyte protoporphyrin.
• Determination of iron index cut-offs using the 95% confidence interval limit.

Main Results:

• Established specific cut-off values for key iron biomarkers in Chinese infants.
• Identified appropriate limits for evaluating iron status in the target infant population.
• Provided a validated method for assessing iron status in this demographic.

Conclusions:

• The study successfully defined novel, population-specific cut-off values for infant iron status.
• These new benchmarks are essential for accurate diagnosis of iron deficiency in Chinese infants.
• Implementation of these findings can enhance the prevention and treatment of iron deficiency anemia in infants.