Iron-deficiency anaemia between 3 months and 2 years of age and a comparison of treatment with ferrous sulphate and ferrous fumarate.

A recent paper from this hospital (Morrison, Bass, Davis, Hobson, Madsen and Masters, 1957) reported that about one half of the children under 2 years of age admitted because of acute respiratory infections had haemoglobin concentrations below 11 g. per 100 ml. The purposes of the present investigation were to determine the distribution of the haemoglobin levels in children between 3 months and 2 years of age attending the hospital, to compare two forms of iron treatment and to observe whether infection influenced the response to therapy. For many years ferrous sulphate (iron content about 33 % of exsiccated salt) has been the compound most widely prescribed for the treatment of iron deficiency anaemia. In a small number of patients this causes gastro-intestinal disturbance. The claim has been made that organic compounds of iron are better tolerated. Recently ferrous fumarate, a compound with the empirical formula FeC4H204, has been advocated (Lancet, 1958). The iron content of ferrous fumarate (about 33% iron) is higher than that of ferrous gluconate (about 12% iron) or ferrous succinate (about 25 % iron).