Iron status of preterm low birthweight infants and their response to oral iron.

Disease in Childhood, 49, 386. Iron status of preterm low birthweight infants and their response to oral iron. The iron status of a group of preterm low birthweight infants preventively treated with oral iron has been studied by measuring haemoglobin concentration, serum iron concentration, and total iron binding capacity (TIBC) at intervals from birth to 9 months. 47 infants born at an average gestational age of 34 weeks, with a mean birthweight of 1517 g, were investigated. They received 180 mg ferrous sulphate (== 36 *3 mg Fe) daily from the fifth week and throughout the study. At 3 months of age most of the infants had low serum iron concentration and increased TIBC indicative of iron deficiency, and over half of them had iron deficiency anaemia (Hb <11 g/100 ml). At 6 and 9 months of age the mean Hb increased slightly, but mean serum iron concentrations remained low, and mean TIBC increased to over 500 ,ug/100 ml. It is not clear why the amount of iron, administered orally, was insufficient to prevent iron deficiency in almost all the infants, and iron deficiency anaemia in nearly half of the infants studied. It has been well established that the 'late' anaemia, almost invariably found in a preterm low birthweight infant, is due to iron deficiency (Mackay, 1928). We have investigated the iron status of preterm low birthweight infants before and during treatment with oral iron, by measuring their Hb concentration, serum iron concentration, and total iron binding capacity. Together these parameters provide essentially the same information regarding iron deficiency as does its evaluation by means of iron staining of bone marrow aspirates (Bainton and Finch, 1964). Material and methods Forty-seven preterm low birthweight infants (28 males and 19 females) admitted at birth to the Special Care Baby Unit, Leicester General Hospital, were investigated. The average age was 34 weeks (range 29 to 37 weeks) and their mean birthweight was 1517 g (range 920 to 1870 g). The infants were not suffering from any disease and were born to mothers who were not anaemic during pregnancy. All were fed with the same brand of evaporated milk throughout the period of inpatient care. All received 1 mg vitamin K at birth and were prescribed paediatric mixture offerrous sulphate BP, 180 mg/day, from the age of 5 weeks. Iron fortified cereals were introduced in the infants' diet according to commonpractice. In addition, during …