Brief Report: Variations in the Response of Childhood Iron Deficiency Anemia to Oral Iron

Of 182 infants and children with iron deficiency anemia treated with prescribed oral ferrous sulfate in a dose of approximately 2 mg./kg. body weight two or three times daily 131 (72.0 percent) responded promptly to one month of treatment. Forty-nine (26.9 percent) had a delayed response or responded to an intramuscular iron preparation. The most likely reasons for the delay in the response of this group included the following: (1) The total dose of iron prescribed in 1 month appeared insufficient. (2) The child fought the medication and it was not given properly by the parents. (3) The oral iron caused vomiting or diarrhea and was subsequently not given. (4) The parents appeared unconvinced of the necessity or efficacy of the medication. (5) The response was delayed by repeated infections. Several of these factors were often present in the same patient. Thus many seeming failures to respond to iron may be due to these problems and not to iron being improper therapy.