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Efficacy of intermittent iron supplementation in children with mild iron-deficiency anemia
Jian-Yun Li1, Li Li1, Jun Liu1
1Department of Child Health Care, Luohu Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518019, China.
Insights
Intermittent iron supplementation shows similar long-term efficacy to conventional methods for children with mild iron-deficiency anemia. This approach reduces adverse reactions and improves compliance, making it a promising alternative.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Hematology
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Iron-deficiency anemia is a prevalent nutritional disorder in children.
- Mild cases often require effective and well-tolerated supplementation strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the efficacy and safety of intermittent versus conventional iron supplementation in children with mild iron-deficiency anemia.
Main Methods:
- A prospective study involving 147 children with mild iron-deficiency anemia.
- Participants were randomized into intermittent or conventional iron supplementation groups.
- Hemoglobin levels, treatment response rates, and adverse drug reactions were monitored over 3 months.
Main Results:
- Both groups showed significant hemoglobin increases (P<0.05).
- Conventional supplementation yielded higher short-term response rates (1 month: 61% vs 42%, P<0.05).
- Long-term efficacy (3 months) and adverse reaction rates differed significantly (8% vs 25%, P<0.05), favoring intermittent supplementation.
Conclusions:
- Intermittent iron supplementation offers comparable long-term efficacy to conventional methods for mild pediatric iron-deficiency anemia.
- It demonstrates a lower incidence of adverse drug reactions, potentially improving compliance and reducing costs.
- Intermittent iron supplementation presents a viable and promising clinical option.
Objectives:
To study the efficacy of intermittent iron supplementation in children with mild iron-deficiency anemia.
Methods:
A total of 147 children with mild iron-deficiency anemia were enrolled in this prospective study. They were divided into an intermittent iron supplementation group (n=83) and a conventional iron supplementation group (n=64). The levels of hemoglobin were measured before treatment and after 1 and 3 months of treatment. The treat response rate and the incidence rate of adverse drug reactions were compared between the two groups.
Results:
Both groups had a significant increase in the level of hemoglobin after iron supplementation (P<0.05). After 1 month of treatment, the conventional iron supplementation group had a significantly higher treatment response rate than the intermittent iron supplementation group (61% vs 42%, P<0.05). After 3 months of treatment, there was no significant difference in the treatment response between the two groups (86% vs 78%, P>0.05). The incidence rate of adverse drug reactions in the conventional iron supplementation group was significantly higher than that in the intermittent iron supplementation group (25% vs 8%, P<0.05).
Conclusions:
For children with mild iron-deficiency anemia, although intermittent iron supplementation is inferior to conventional iron supplementation in the short-term efficacy, there is no significant difference in the long-term efficacy between the two methods, and compared with conventional iron supplementation, intermittent iron supplementation can reduce the incidence of adverse drug reactions, alleviate family financial burdens, and improve treatment compliance of children, thus holding promise for clinical application.
