Iron status and developmental scores in 6-year-olds highlights ongoing need to tackle iron deficiency in infants

Iron deficiency anemia among infants: a retrospective cohort study

Postnatal iron deficiency, especially from ages 6 to 24 months, has long-term consequences lasting into adolescence and adulthood. We aimed to characterize iron deficiency anemia among infants from one central Israeli district by demographic and laboratory parameters. A retrospective chart review was performed on all infants from a single district who had undergone a complete blood count as part of a routine survey for iron deficiency anemia during 2010-2021. Data retrieved included hemoglobin levels, mean corpuscular volume, and demographic features: sex, sector (non-ultraorthodox Jew, ultraorthodox Jew, and Arab), socioeconomic status, and type of residence. The study group comprised 101,650 infants, aged 9 to 18 months. Iron deficiency anemia, defined as a hemoglobin level <11 g/dL and mean corpuscular volume <70 fl was observed in 4296 (4.2%) of the study infants. Iron deficiency anemia was more prevalent among Arab and ultraorthodox Jewish infants, than non-ultraorthodox Jewish infants (6.6% vs. 6% vs. 3%, respectively). It was also more prevalent among infants of low socioeconomic status, and relatively common among infants of rural residence. We identified two specific sub-populations at risk of developing iron deficiency anemia: Arab and ultraorthodox Jewish infants. We recommend enhancing the nationwide intervention program for both clinicians and parents, thereby treating iron deficiency anemia promptly to avoid short- and long-term deleterious health consequences.

Effects of latent iron deficiency on auditory neural maturation during early infancy in infants above 35 weeks' gestation

BACKGROUND

Latent iron deficiency (LID) at birth is associated with prolonged latencies in auditory brainstem response (ABR), a surrogate for neural maturation. This study aimed to compare wave and inter-peak latencies of ABR at birth and at 4-6 months of age in infants ≥35 weeks of gestation with normal iron status (NIS) and LID.

METHODS

Neonates born at ≥35 weeks were screened. Cord ferritin value ≤ 75 ng/mL and >75 ng/mL were classified as LID and NIS, respectively. ABR was performed within 48 h of birth. The absolute latencies of waves I, III, and V, and inter-peak latencies I-III, III-V, and I-V were computed. Infants were reassessed at 4-6 months of age for hemoglobin, serum ferritin levels, and ABR latencies.

RESULTS

In total, 160 neonates were enrolled. The mean (SD) birth weight and gestational age of the study population were 2843 (384) g and 38.3 (1.1) weeks, respectively. Approximately 122 infants completed follow-up until 4-6 months of age: 37 in the LID group and 85 in the NIS group. Overall, the wave and interpeak latencies in both groups at birth were comparable. At 4-6 months, the absolute latencies of waves I, III, and V, and inter-peak latencies I-III, III-V, and I-V were decreased and were comparable in both groups. Among small-for-gestational-age neonates, inter-peak latencies in I-III and I-V at birth were significantly longer in the LID group than in the NIS group. Nine (24.3%) infants in the LID group and none in the NIS group were iron-deficient at 4-6 months of age.

CONCLUSION

There was no difference in wave or inter-peak latencies at birth and at 4-6 months of age in neonates aged ≥35 weeks with or without LID. However, infants with LID at birth have a significant risk of iron deficiency at 4-6 months of age. CTRI/2017/08/009379 (www.ctri.nic.in).

Low Hemoglobin Levels Are Associated with Reduced Psychomotor and Language Abilities in Young Ugandan Children

Children living in Sub-Saharan Africa are vulnerable to developmental delay, particularly in the critical first five years due to various adverse exposures including disease and nutritional deficiencies. Anemia and iron deficiency (ID) are highly prevalent in pregnant mothers and young children and are implicated in abnormal brain development. However, available evidence on the association between anemia, ID and neurodevelopment in sub-Saharan Africa is limited. Using data from the Entebbe Mother and Baby Study prospective birth cohort, we examined the effect of maternal and child hemoglobin (Hb) levels and child iron status on developmental scores in 933 and 530 pre-school Ugandan children respectively. Associations between Hb levels, iron status and developmental scores were assessed using regression analyses adjusting for potential confounders. Lower maternal and child Hb levels were associated with reduced psychomotor scores at 15 months, while only lower Hb levels in infancy were associated with reduced language scores. We found no evidence that anemia or ID was associated with cognitive or motor scores at five years. This study emphasizes the importance of managing anemia in pregnancy and infancy and highlights the need for further studies on the effects of anemia and ID in children living in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Reducing infantile anemia: insight on patterns of process and outcome indicators by ethnicity and socioeconomic class during a 10-year intervention program and 5 years after

Background

In 2005, Clalit Health Services (CHS), the largest health maintenance organization in Israel, initiated an intervention program aimed at reducing the prevalence rate of infantile anemia (IA). This study evaluated the progress made during the intervention (2005–2014) and its yield 5 years after it ended (2019).

Methods

The CHS database was retrospectively reviewed twice yearly from 2005 to 2014 for repetitive samples of children aged 9 to 18 months regarding the previous half-year interval, and a single sample in 2019. Data were collected on gender, ethnicity (Jewish/non-Jewish), socioeconomic class (SEC; low/intermediate/high), hemoglobin testing (yes/no), and hemoglobin level (if tested). Excluded were infants with documented or suspected hemoglobinopathy.

Results

At study initiation, the rate of performance of hemoglobin testing was 54.7%, and the IA prevalence rate was 7.8%. The performance rate was lower in the Jewish than the non-Jewish subpopulation. The low-SEC subpopulation had a similar hemoglobin testing rate to the high-SEC subpopulation but double the IA prevalence rate. Overall, by the end of the intervention (2014), the performance rate increased to 87.5%, and the AI prevalence rate decreased to 3.4%. In 2019, there was little change in the performance rate from the end of the intervention (88%) and the IA prevalence was further reduced to 2.7%. The non-Jewish and low-SEC subpopulations showed the most improvement which was maintained and even bettered 5 years after the intervention ended.

Conclusions

The 10-year IA intervention program introduced by CHS in 2005 led to a reduction in IA prevalence rate to about 3.5% in all sub-populations evaluated. By program end, the results in the weaker subpopulations, which had the highest prevalence of IA at baseline, were not inferior to those in the stronger subpopulations. We recommended to the Israel Ministry of Health to adopt the intervention countrywide, and we challenge other countries to consider similar interventions.

Infant Feeding, Vitamin D and IgE Sensitization to Food Allergens at 6 Years in a Longitudinal Icelandic Cohort

Nordic Nutrition Recommendations (NNR) recommend exclusive breastfeeding until 6 months, partial breastfeeding until 1 year or longer and irrespective of breastfeeding, avoiding solid foods before 4 months. Strong evidence was found for benefits of breastfeeding regarding growth and infections but limited/inconclusive evidence regarding atopic disease and asthma. Vitamin D is of special interest in the Nordic diet. The aim of this prospective study was to compare infant feeding and vitamin D between immunoglobulin E (IgE) sensitized (n = 14) and non-sensitized (n = 130) children at 6 years. Information on diet and vitamin D supplement use were collected with dietary recall (<5 months), 1-d food records (5 and 6 months) and 3-d weighed food records (12 months and 6 years). Serum-specific IgE-antibodies against milk, egg, cod, wheat, soy and peanut (cut-off specific IgE ≥ 0.35 kUA/L) were measured at 6 years and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D at 12 months and 6 years. At 4 months, 57% of IgE sensitized vs. 23% of non-sensitized children (p < 0.01) had received solid food. At 12 months, IgE sensitized children had a lower intake of vitamin D (median (25th, 75th percentiles): 3.9 μg/d (3.2, 7.2) vs. 8.1 μg/d (4.4, 12.3), p = 0.03) and at 6 years, fewer used vitamin D supplements regularly (23% vs. 56%, p = 0.03). Introduction of solid foods prior to 4 months increased the odds of IgE-sensitization, OR = 4.9 (95%, CI = 1.4–16.6) and vitamin D supplement at 6 years decreased the odds of IgE-sensitization, OR = 0.2 (95%, CI = 0.1–0.98), adjusting for maternal smoking. These observations support the NNR in their recommendation against introducing complementary solid foods before the age of 4 months. Furthermore, they support encouraging vitamin D intake for young children at northern latitudes.

Microcytosis is associated with low cognitive outcomes in healthy 2-year-olds in a high-resource setting

Fe deficiency in early childhood is associated with long-term consequences for cognitive, motor and behavioural development; however explorations in healthy children from low risk, high-resource settings have been limited. We aimed to explore associations between Fe status and neurodevelopmental outcomes in low risk, healthy 2-year-olds. This study was a secondary analysis of a nested case–control subgroup from the prospective, maternal-infant Cork Babies after Screening for Pregnancy Endpoints: Evaluating the Longitudinal Impact using Neurological and Nutritional Endpoints (BASELINE) Birth Cohort Study. At 2 years, serum ferritin, Hb and mean corpuscular volume (MCV) were measured and neurodevelopment was assessed using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (n 87). Five children had Fe deficiency (ferritin <12 µg/l) and no child had Fe deficiency anaemia (Hb<110 g/l+ferritin<12 µg/l). Children with microcytosis (MCV<74 fl, n 13) had significantly lower mean cognitive composite scores (88·5 (sd 13·3) v. 97·0 (sd 7·8), P=0·04, Cohen’s d effect size=0·8) than those without microcytosis. The ferritin concentration which best predicted microcytosis was calculated as 18·4 µg/l (AUC=0·87 (95% CI 0·75, 0·98), P<0·0001, sensitivity 92 %, specificity 75 %). Using 18·5 µg/l as a threshold, children with concentrations <18·5 µg/l had significantly lower mean cognitive composite scores (92·3 (sd 10·5) v. 97·8 (sd 8·1), P=0·012, Cohen’s d effect size=0·6) compared with those with ferritin ≥18·5 µg/l. All associations were robust after adjustment for potential confounding factors. Despite a low prevalence of Fe deficiency using current diagnostic criteria in this healthy cohort, microcytosis was associated with lower cognitive outcomes at 2 years. This exploratory study emphasises the need for re-evaluation of the diagnostic criteria for Fe deficiency in young children, with further research in adequately powered studies warranted.

Vitamin D Intake and Status in 6-Year-Old Icelandic Children Followed up from Infancy

High serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels have been observed in infants in Nordic countries, likely due to vitamin D supplement use. Internationally, little is known about tracking vitamin D status from infancy to childhood. Following up 1-year-old infants in our national longitudinal cohort, our aims were to study vitamin D intake and status in healthy 6-year-old Icelandic children (n = 139) and to track vitamin D status from one year of age. At six years, the mean 25(OH)D level was 56.5 nmol/L (SD 17.9) and 64% of children were vitamin D sufficient (25(OH)D ≥ 50 nmol/L). A logistic regression model adjusted for gender and breastfeeding showed that higher total vitamin D intake (Odds ratio (OR) = 1.27, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.08–1.49), blood samples collected in summer (OR = 8.88, 95% CI = 1.83–43.23) or autumn (OR = 5.64, 95% CI = 1.16–27.32) compared to winter/spring, and 25(OH)D at age one (OR = 1.02, 95% CI = 1.002–1.04) were independently associated with vitamin D sufficiency at age six. The correlation between 25(OH)D at age one and six was 0.34 (p = 0.003). Our findings suggest that vitamin D status in infancy, current vitamin D intake and season are predictors of vitamin D status in early school age children. Our finding of vitamin D status tracking from infancy to childhood provides motivation for further studies on tracking and its clinical significance.

Treatment of iron deficiency with intravenous ferric carboxymaltose in general practice: a retrospective database study

Background

Iron deficiency is a frequent problem in general practice. Oral supplementation may in some cases not be well tolerated or not be efficient. Intravenous ferric carboxymaltose may be an alternative for iron supplementation in general practice. The aim of the present study was to analyze the indications for and the efficacy of intravenous ferric carboxymaltose in a primary care center.

Methods

We retropectively analyzed electronic data from 173 patients given intravenous ferric carboxymaltose between 2011 and 2013 in primary care center with 18 GPs in Bern, Switzerland.

Results

Of all patients, 34% were treated intravenously due to an inappropriate increase in ferritin levels after oral therapy, 24% had side effects from oral treatment, 10% were treated intravenously due to the patients explicit wish, and in 39% of all cases, no obvious reason of intravenous instead of oral treatment could be found. Intravenous ferric carboxymaltose led to a significant increase in hemoglobin and serum ferritin levels. Side effects of intravenous treatment were found in 2% of all cases.

Conclusion

We conclude that treatment with intravenous ferric carboxymaltose is an efficient alternative for patients with iron deficiency in general practice, when oral products are not well tolarated or effective. As treatment with iron carboxymaltose is more expensive and potentially dangerous due to side effects, the indication should be placed with (more) care.

Animal protein intake at 12 months is associated with growth factors at the age of six

AIM

To study the associations between protein intake from different sources with anthropometry and serum insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) in infancy and childhood.

METHODS

Children (n = 199) born in Iceland were followed up to six years of age. Their intake of various animal proteins and vegetable protein was calculated from weighed food records at 12 months and 6 years. Information about their weight and height at birth, 12 and 18 months, and 6 years was gathered. Serum IGF-1 was measured at 12 months and 6 years.

RESULTS

At the age of six, children in the highest quartile for animal protein intake at 12 months (≥12.2% of total energy) had 0.8 kg/m(2) (95% CI = 0.1, 1.5) higher body mass index (BMI) than children in the lowest quartile (<7.6% of total energy). They were also heavier and longer in infancy and childhood. At 12 months, dairy protein intake as a percentage of total energy was associated with IGF-1 in six-year-old girls, β = 5.4 μg/L (95% CI = 2.5, 8.2).

CONCLUSION

High animal protein intake in infancy, but not vegetable protein intake, was associated with accelerated growth and higher BMI in childhood. Dairy protein intake in infancy may be positively associated with linear growth and also with IGF-1 in six-year-old girls.