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Iron and Neurodevelopment in Preterm Infants: A Narrative Review
Kendell R German1, Sandra E Juul1
1Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
Nutrients
|November 27, 2021
Summary
Iron is vital for infant brain development. Ensuring sufficient iron in newborns is crucial to prevent irreversible cognitive and motor deficits, even with later supplementation.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Neonatology
Background:
- Iron is essential for critical brain functions including synaptogenesis, myelination, energy metabolism, and neurotransmitter production.
- Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) infants face heightened risks of iron deficiency due to prematurity, high iron demands, and medical interventions like phlebotomy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To emphasize the critical role of iron sufficiency in neonatal brain development.
- To highlight the irreversible consequences of perinatal iron deficiency on neurodevelopment.
- To advocate for targeted iron supplementation strategies based on outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on iron's role in brain development.
- Analysis of the impact of perinatal iron deficiency on neurodevelopmental outcomes.
- Correlation of iron status measures with improved neurodevelopmental outcomes in infants.
Main Results:
- Perinatal iron deficiency can lead to permanent, non-reversible alterations in brain structure and function.
- Documented neurodevelopmental deficits in children with perinatal iron deficiency include delayed nerve conduction, sleep disturbances, impaired memory, motor deficits, and lower developmental scores.
- These deficits may manifest neonatally and persist into adulthood.
Conclusions:
- Optimizing neurodevelopmental outcomes in infants necessitates ensuring adequate brain iron levels during the neonatal period.
- Iron supplementation strategies should be precisely targeted towards iron measures that demonstrate a correlation with improved infant neurodevelopmental outcomes.
