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Effectiveness of iron therapy on breath-holding spells
A S Daoud1, A Batieha, M al-Sheyyab
1Department of Paediatrics and Community Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan.
Insights
Iron therapy significantly reduces breath-holding spells (BHS) in children. Iron-deficient children showed the most benefit, with treatment correlating to improved blood indexes.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Hematology
- Clinical Medicine
Background:
- Breath-holding spells (BHS) are common in children.
- The efficacy of iron therapy for BHS is not fully established.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effectiveness of iron supplementation in treating pediatric breath-holding spells.
- To determine if iron deficiency influences treatment response.
Main Methods:
- A randomized clinical trial involving 67 children with BHS.
- Comparison of iron therapy versus placebo over 16 weeks.
- Assessment of BHS frequency and blood indexes.
Main Results:
- Iron therapy led to an 88% reduction in BHS frequency compared to 6% in the placebo group.
- Significant improvements in blood indexes were observed in the iron-treated group.
- Baseline hemoglobin and iron-binding capacity predicted positive treatment response.
Conclusions:
- Iron therapy is an effective treatment for breath-holding spells in children.
- Iron-deficient children are more likely to benefit from iron supplementation.
- Treatment response is linked to improvements in hematological markers.
Objective:
The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of iron therapy on breath-holding spells (BHS).
Methodology:
Sixty-seven children with BHS were enrolled in a clinical trial to evaluate the effect of iron therapy on BHS. At the beginning of therapy, the clinical, laboratory, and demographic characteristics of the patients in the treatment group (n = 33) and placebo group (n = 34) were comparable. Patients were assessed weekly for the first 8 weeks and then every 2 weeks for the next 8 weeks. Response to therapy was assessed by the change in the frequency of BHS.
Results:
Children treated with iron showed significant reduction in the frequency of BHS (88%) compared with the frequency (6%) in the placebo group. As expected, the treated group showed a significant improvement of a number of blood indexes compared with the placebo group. Baseline mean levels of hemoglobin and total iron binding capacity were predictive of a favorable response to iron treatment.
Conclusion:
Results of this study indicate that iron therapy is effective in the treatment of BHS and that iron-deficient children seem to be more likely to benefit from such therapy. Response to iron therapy was strongly correlated with improvement in blood indexes.