Prenatal Iron Deficiency and Auditory Brainstem Responses at 3 and 10 Months: A Pilot Study.
OBJECTIVE
To examine whether prenatal iron deficiency delays auditory brainstem response (ABR) maturation in infancy.


METHODS
One hundred and fifteen full-term healthy Chinese infants with maternal and cord blood haemoglobin and serum ferritin determinations were recruited into this study. Forty-eight infants received ABR testing at 3 months, and 45 infants were tested at 10 months. Comparison of the ABR variables were made between infants with and those without evidence of prenatal iron deficiency (maternal 3rd trimester haemoglobin <110 g/L, cord blood ferritin <75 μg/L); or anaemia at 10 months (haemoglobin <110 g/L).


RESULTS
Latencies for wave V and wave III-V and I-V intervals were prolonged at 3 months in infants of anaemic mothers (effect sizes 1.02-1.19 SD). At 10 months, infants with low cord blood serum ferritin (indicating low iron stores at birth) showed longer wave I latency and possibly wave V latency also, besides demonstrating a smaller wave V amplitude (effect sizes 0.58-0.62 SD). Infants with low ferritin at birth and anemia at 10 months had longer wave III-V latency than other groups.


CONCLUSIONS
In full-term healthy infants, prenatal iron deficiency appears to have adverse effects on the developing central nervous system and auditory system as assessed by ABRs at 3 and/or 10 months.
Department of Gastroenterology, Children's Hospital Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 57 Zhugan Xiang Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310003, China.
J
J
Lou
Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan, 300 North Ingalls Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States.
X
X
Mai
Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan, 300 North Ingalls Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States.
B
B
Lozoff
Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan, 300 North Ingalls Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States.
B T
BT
Felt
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Michigan, 1500 East Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States.
P R
PR
Kileny
Department of Child Health Care, Children's Hospital Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 57 Zhugan Xiang Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310003, China.
Z
Z
Zhao
Department of Child Health Care, Children's Hospital Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 57 Zhugan Xiang Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310003, China.
J
J
Shao
Auditory brainstem response; Central nervous system; Iron deficiency; Myelination; Prenatal