[PREVALENCE OF IRON DEFICIENCY AND IRON DEFICIENCY ANEMIA IN INFANTS AGED 9 TO 15 MONTHS IN A LOW INCOME POPULATION (2005-2010)].

BACKGROUND: Iron deficiency (ID) is a common nutritional deficiency.

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the prevalence and causes of ID and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) and to report the iron status in Israeli Arab infants.

METHODS: Data on iron status was taken from 410 infants, aged 9 to 15 months, who were randomly selected from 2400 infants born between 2005-2010. Hemoglobin (Hb) <11 g/dL, ferritin <12 μg/L and mean corpuscular volume (MCV) <70 fL were the criteria for establishing IDA, and ferritin<12 μg/L and MCV <70 fL for establishing ID.

RESULTS: Of the 410 infants, 116 (28%) had Hb <11 g/dL, and 68 (17%) had MCV<70 fL. We were able to analyze the samples of 368 infants for ferritin: 27 (7%) had ferritin <12 μg/L. Iron deficiency anemia (Hb <11 g/dL and ferritin <12 μg/L) was diagnosed in 15/368 infants (4%).The IDA rate was 2% (10/368 infants) when the criteria of three factors (Hb <11 g/dL and ferritin <12 μg/L, MCV <70 fL) were used. Infants who were breastfed >6 months were significantly less prone to have anemia (P > 0.002) and infants who received >6 months of iron supplements were also less prone to have anemia (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: Studies are needed for establishing valid cutoff points for diagnosing ID and IDA and for identifying the causes of the high rate of anemia in the absence of ID. Breastfeeding and iron preparation supplementation are recommended and the test of ferritin at one year of age could be considered.