Iron deficiency anemia in children

Iron deficiency anemia develops with a significant decrease in iron in the bone marrow, serum and in the places of its accumulation( depot).At the same time, there is a disruption in the production of red blood cells and hemoglobin. This disease occurs in both adults and children.

Causes of the disease

This disease can be caused by various reasons, including:

  • insufficient intake of iron, as well as other substances with food, late introduction of complementary foods, unilateral feeding;
  • increased need for iron in a period when there is intensive growth;
  • deficiency of iron in the depot with irrational feeding of pregnant women, with prematurity, anemia in pregnant women, multiple pregnancies;
  • by repeated bleeding;
  • violation of iron absorption in the intestine in the presence of diseases of the intestine;
  • by helminthic invasions( ankylostomiasis), chronic infectious diseases.

Symptoms of the disease

There are three degrees of the disease. Iron deficiency anemia can occur in severe, moderate and mild forms.

If the child has a mild degree of anemia, then there may be lethargy and poor appetite, as well as irritability. The child is usually pale. The number of erythrocytes in the blood decreases to 3.5 x 1012 / l, hemoglobin - to 80 g / l.

With a mild course of the disease, the child already exhibits more pronounced symptoms: apathy, tearfulness, lethargy, adynamia, a sharp loss of appetite. Visually, the mucous membranes and skin are dry, the hair can become thin and sparse( not always).The child's tongue is covered with bloom. The number of red blood cells is reduced to 2.8 x 1012 / l, hemoglobin is at 66 g / l.

In severe iron deficiency anemia the child is weak and even inhibited, he has no appetite and often there are constipation. Some children( about 2-3 children out of a hundred) have a desire to eat brick, graphite, earth or clay. Very often there is alopecia, that is, hair loss, as well as thinning and layering of the nails. The skin is pale, with a waxy shade. Due to a sharp increase in the spleen and liver, the abdomen increases in size( hepatosplenomegaly), jaundices are formed in the corners of the mouth. The concentration of red blood cells is reduced to 1.4 x 1012 / l, the concentration of hemoglobin is 35 g / l and lower.

Treatment of children with anemia

First, you need to properly organize the diet and the day as a whole. Food should contain a sufficient amount of iron, vitamins, protein and other trace elements. It is desirable to include in the diet products that contain iron and other trace elements: green peas, beets, potatoes, oatmeal, zucchini, cabbage. From juices it is better to choose lemon, cherry, apple, pomegranate, beetroot. If the child has not reached the age of six months, the introduction of early complementary foods is recommended.

In general, products in which the iron content is greatest - it's beef, oatmeal, wheat and buckwheat groats, apples, yolk and chicken.

Drugs with iron, vitamins and copper content

For a mild form of the disease, medications are taken through the mouth, in case of severe course - intravenously or intramuscularly.

Therapy for children up to one year includes agents with iron and fillers, for example, suspension of orferon, aloe syrup with iron, etc.

For children slightly older are prescribed such drugs as ferrocerone, feramide, ferroplex, gemostimulin, etc.

For the treatment of children of sixYears and older, long-acting agents are used - tardiffon, ferrogradument.

All these preparations for better absorption should be taken before meals in combination with ascorbic acid, washed down with acid diluted juices.

Course of therapy for at least one to three months under the supervision of a specialist.

In severe form: ferkofen, ferrum-lek, erythropoietin. If the administration of drugs intravenous or intramuscular, then in this period you can not take funds with iron inside.

It is recommended to take vitamins from group B and vitamins C, P.

As a preventive measure during pregnancy, the diet of the future mother is adjusted. Important is breastfeeding and complementary feeding. Children from the risk group( with multiple pregnancies, premature babies) are prescribed drugs with iron.