Aluminum Toxicity in Infants and Children

During the last 15 years, accumulating evidence has implicated aluminum in disorders associated with chronic renal failure.’6 The well-recognized manifestations of systemic aluminum toxicity include fracturing osteomalacia, dialysis encephalopathy, and microcytic hypochromic anemia. More recently, aluminum loading has been demonstrated in premature infants receiving intravenous fluid therapy.7 Although the clinical importance of this finding is unclear, it warrants careful attention. The association between aluminum excess and neurologic dysfunction, which has been reported in patients with chronic renal failure, suggests the possibility that aluminum overload may contribute to the pathogenesis of CNS damage in the sick premature infant.7’8