It seems everything we have thought about .. anemia .. iron deficient anemia ..
is NOW .. up .. in .. the .. air .. ?

As I proposed ..

Nutrition
"The diagnostic criteria for iron deficiency in infants should be reevaluated."

Acta Paediatr. 2004 Apr;93(4):436-9. Related Articles, Links

Iron deficiency and iron deficiency anaemia during infancy and childhood.

Zetterstrom R.

The present definition of iron deficiency and iron deficiency anaemia is under
debate. Our present figures for the prevalence of iron deficiency in infants
and toddlers are thus disputed. CONCLUSION: Better understanding of the
regulation of iron metabolism and requirement during the critical early period
of growth and development is needed for relevant control of iron deficiency
anaemia.

Publication Types:
Editorial

PMID: 15188964 [PubMed - in process]

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DGReview

Inadequate Definition Of Iron Deficiency In Infancy A DGReview of :"The
diagnostic criteria for iron deficiency in infants should be reevaluated."
Nutrition
12/20/2002
By Robert Short

The current definitions for iron deficiency and iron deficiency anaemia in
infants are inadequate and need evaluation.

A study of 263 exclusively breast-fed infants in Honduras and Sweden who were
randomly assigned to receive iron supplementation or placebo has led
researchers in Sweden and the United States to this conclusion.

Blood samples were taken from the children at age 4, 6 and 9 months. Reference
ranges were determined using three different approaches for defining
iron-replete infants. The researchers evaluated various variables for
predicting the haemoglobin response to iron.

Dr M Domellof, from the Department of Clinical Sciences, Pediatrics, Umea
University, Umea, Sweden, said, "The haemoglobin response to iron was not a
useful definition of iron deficiency anaemia at 4 months of age. Haemoglobin,
mean cell volume, and zinc protoporphyrin at 6 months as well as growth
variables predicted the haemoglobin response at 6-9 months, but ferritin and
soluble transferrin receptors at 6 months did not."

The investigators concluded that there was a need for a re-evaluation of the
definitions of iron deficiency and iron deficiency anaemia.

They had set out to establish the cut-off values for the different variables.
They found the two standard deviation cut-off values in iron-replete infants to
be as follows: haemoglobin <105 g/L at 4-6 months and <100 g/L at 9 months;
zinc protoporphyrin >75 micro mol/mol haem at 4.6 months and >90 micro mol/mol
haem at 9 months; ferritin <20 micro g/L at 4 mo, <9 micro g/L at 6 mo and <5
micro g/L at 9 mo; and soluble transferrin receptors >11 mg/L at 4-9 months.

Nutrition
"The diagnostic criteria for iron deficiency in infants should be reevaluated."

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Tom