title: The influences of factors associated with decreased iron supply to the fetus during pregnancy on iron status in healthy children aged 0.5 to 3 years.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether maternal anemia, pregnancy-induced diabetes, hypertension and smoking contributed to the recently found high prevalence of iron deficiency in a population of otherwise healthy children.
  
  
  METHODS
  Iron status was assessed in 400 children aged 0.5 to 3 years. We obtained information on the mothers' laboratory results, the presence of diabetes and hypertension, smoking habits and use of medication while pregnant.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found no influence of maternal anemia, diabetes, hypertension or smoking during pregnancy on iron status in the children. Mean corpuscular volume (MCV) values of the children were positively correlated to maternal MCV values.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this population, iron status in children is not affected by maternal anemia or maternal factors that are associated with a decreased iron transport during pregnancy. The correlation between MCV values in mothers and their children might be explained by genetic and/or shared environmental factors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Juliana Children's Hospital - Haga Teaching Hospital, The Hague, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Uijterschout
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Juliana Children's Hospital - Haga Teaching Hospital, The Hague, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vloemans
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Juliana Children's Hospital - Haga Teaching Hospital, The Hague, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rövekamp-Abels
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynaecology, Haga Teaching Hospital, The Hague, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Feitsma
authors.affiliation: 1] Department of Pediatrics, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands [2] Department of Pediatrics, Emma Children's Hospital - Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: van Goudoever
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Juliana Children's Hospital - Haga Teaching Hospital, The Hague, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Brus
mesh_terms: D000740:Anemia; D018798:Anemia, Iron-Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016640:Diabetes, Gestational; D004909:Erythrocyte Indices; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension; D007223:Infant; D007501:Iron / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000097:blood*; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins; D007501:Iron