Food & Nutrition

Arab Journal of Food & Nutrition
54. The Effectiveness of Intermittent Iron Treatment of Three to Five Year Old
Jordanian Children with Iron Deficiency Anemia (2002)
Sandy Bishara Kakish\ University of Jordan
Supervisor: Dr. Ahmad M. Faqih
The effectiveness of intermittent iron treatment versus daily iron treatment was
investigated in 2-6-year-old Jordanian children with iron deficiency anemia. Subjects
were selected on the basis of a hemoglobin concentration 10.5 g/dl and serum ferritin
concentration 12 g/L in venous blood. A total of 134 children were recruited into the
study, 63 (M=39; F=24) of which completed the three month treatment period.
Children were randomly assigned to one of three groups; Group 1 (w=21); daily iron
treatment, Group 2 (n=21): weekly iron treatment, Group 3 (n=2l): twice weekly iron
treatment. All children received a dose of 5 mg elemental iron per kg body weight
(FeSO4 .7H20) in the form of medicinal drops in a frequency relevant to the group to
which they were assigned. After three months of iron treatment hemoglobin, hematocrit,
MCV, MCH and MCHC increased significantly (P< 0.05) in the three iron
treatment groups with no significant differences (P>0.05) between them in final values
and change in these values. Changes in hemoglobin were similar among the three iron
treatment groups (Group 1: 2.47±0.17; Group 2: 2.12±0.18; Group 3: 2.18±0.18).
Serum ferritin [Group 1 (n=12); Group 2 (n=12); Group 3 (n=l0) increased
significantly (P < 0.05) in all three groups with no significant differences in final
serum ferritin values. Increments in serum ferritin were not significantly different
among the three iron treatment groups: (Group 1: 40.88 ± 4.16; Group 2: 40.85±4.16;
Group 3: 36.38 ± 4.56). All children who completed the study showed a positive
hemoglobin response to iron treatment and only one subject in Group 1 remained
anemic after three months of daily iron treatment. It can be concluded that weekly and
twice weekly treatment with 5 mg elemental iron per kg body weight as ferrous sulfate
for three months is as effective as daily iron treatment in correcting iron deficiency
anemia in 2-6-year-old children.
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Volume 213 11, No. 25, 2011