Iron deficiency risk factors in infants at one year: A cross-sectional study

[The association between iron deficiency and learning disorders in preschoolers]

With the aim preventing future problems of underachievement at school, we studied the possible relationship between learning difficulties and iron deficiency in nursery-school children. To do this, we determined the prevalence of iron deficiency and the prevalence or learning difficulties in the different areas of mental development in a sample of 136 nursery school children coming from the Alaquàs public school (Valencia), aged between four and five years. Their nutritional state and ferric state, socioeconomic and cultural level, and psychomotor development were evaluated. All the children were in a good nutritional state, coming from homogeneous families as regards their socio-cultural level and being divided into two groups as regards their economic situation. The iron deficiency prevalence was 17.6% in stage I (ferritina sérica < 12 ng/l) and 22.8% in stage III (anemia ferropénica). The coefficient for overall development was 85.95, the lowest marks being in the speech area. A positive association (prevalence ratio = 2; IC 95% = 1.1-8.3) between iron deficiency in its III stage and changes in the specific area of analysis and synthesis.

Anaemia during pregnancy as a risk factor for infant iron deficiency: report from the Valencia Infant Anaemia Cohort (VIAC) study

A prospective cohort study with a 1-year follow-up of 156 neonates was carried out specifically designed to test the hypothesis that there is a positive relationship between iron deficiency during pregnancy and the development of the same disease in newborn infants. Exposure was defined as being born of a mother with ferropenic anaemia at delivery, and cases as the infants who developed iron deficiency during their first year of life. A statistically significant positive association was detected with an odds ratio of 6.57 (95% confidence limits 1.81-25.97). A stratified analysis was also performed to control the effect of potential confounders such as socio-economic variables, feeding practices and other factors linked with the iron status of infants. This second analytical procedure showed no alteration in the association detected in the simple analysis but that there was a statistically significant strong interaction between the quantity of cow's milk intake and the ferropenic status of the mother. These results show a relationship between iron deficiency of the mother at delivery and the development of iron deficiency in the infants. These new findings could be important in the development of new prevention programmes applied to pregnant women.