With early screening and appropriate iron supplementation, iron deficiency in the first year of life can be prevented in breastfed infants.
Infants with low ferritin at 1 month are at high risk of iron deficiency. They will receive iron drops starting at 2 months. All other infants are at low risk of iron deficiency. All infants will receive iron-fortified cereal starting at 4 months of age.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
219
Fer-in-Sol drops providing 7.5 mg iron in 0.3 ml per day given from 84 to 168 d of age and iron-fortified cereal
No dietary supplements
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa, United States
Iron deficiency anemia will be prevented in all infants before 5.5 mo of age
Iron deficiency anemia will be defined as plasma ferritin less than 10 ug/L and hemoglobin less than 105 g/L. The expected outcome is there will be no infants with iron deficiency anemia before 5.5 mo of age.
Time frame: 5.5 mo
Determine the number of infants with iron deficiency between 5.5 and 9 mo of age
Iron deficiency will be determined as plasma ferritin less than 10 ug/L. We will determine the number of infants with iron deficiency between 5.5 and 9 mo of age
Time frame: 9 mo
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