THE EFFECTS OF IRON DEFICIENCY AND IRON THERAPY ON INFANTS DEVELOPMENTAL TEST PERFORMANCE

Akman M 1, Okur V2,Cebeci D3

1 Haseki State Hospital, Family, Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey

2 Haseki State Hospital, Pediatrics, Istanbul, Turkey

3 Marmara University Medical School Public Health Department, Istanbul, Turkey

 

Objective: To assess the effects of iron deficency on developmental test scores in infants, 108 babies 6-30 months of age were tested with the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID) and Denver Developmental Screening Test before and after 3 months follow-up.

Methods:  Between 108 subjects 37 were having iron deficiency anemia (IDA), 40 were non-anemic iron deficient (NAID) and 31 were non- anemic iron sufficient (Control). In a single-blind randomized, controlled study 3 months oral iron therapy administered to IDA and NAID groups. 

Results: Subjects with iron deficency showed significantly lower developmental test scores compared to their iron sufficient peers (p< 0.05). After 3 months of iron treatment lower test scores were no longer observed among the IDA and NAID groups whose anemia and iron deficency were also corrected.

Conclusion: These findings support that iron deficiency may cause developmental delay in infants and these advers effects can be reversed by iron therapy.

 
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