Iron status at 9 months of infants with low iron stores at birth.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the 9-month follow-up iron status of infants born with abnormally low serum ferritin concentrations.


METHODS
Ten infants of >34 weeks' gestation with cord serum ferritin concentrations <5th percentile at birth (<70 microg/L) and 12 control infants with cord serum ferritin concentrations >80 microg/L had follow-up serum ferritin concentrations measured at 9 +/- 1 month of age. The mean follow-up ferritins, incidences of iron deficiency and iron-deficiency anemia, and growth rates from 0 to 12 months were compared between the two groups.


RESULTS
At follow-up, the low birth ferritin group had a lower mean ferritin than the control group (30 +/- 17 vs 57 +/- 33 microg/L; P =.03), but no infant in either group had iron deficiency (serum ferritin <10 microg/L) or iron-deficiency anemia. Both groups grew equally well, but more rapid growth rates were associated with lower follow-up ferritin concentrations only in the low birth ferritin group (r = -0.52; P =.05). Both groups were predominantly breast-fed without iron supplementation before 6 months.


CONCLUSIONS
Infants born with serum ferritin concentrations <5th percentile continue to have significantly lower ferritin concentrations at 9 months of age compared with infants born with normal iron status, potentially conferring a greater risk of later onset iron deficiency in the second postnatal year.
Georgieff
Michael K
MK
Departments of Pediatrics, the Institute for Child Development, and the Center for Neurobehavioral Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA.
Wewerka
Sandi W
SW
Nelson
Charles A
CA
Deregnier
Raye-Ann
RA
D018798:Anemia, Iron-Deficiency / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003677:Deficiency Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000150:complications*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006128:Growth; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007227:Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D000090463:Iron Deficiencies; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011254:Pregnancy in Diabetics; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology