Tratamento da anemia ferropriva com ferro quelato glicinato e crescimento de crianças na primeira infância1

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate response to daily supplementation with iron bis-glycinate chelate and its impact on linear growth. Methods A prospective study was done with 790 children aging from 6 to 36 months who attended daycare in São Paulo from 1999 to 2003. Hemoglobin levels, body weight and height/length were determined at the beginning and end of the study. Liquid iron bis-glycinate chelate was administered in a dosage of 5mg of elemental iron/ kg of body weight/day given by the health provider of the daycare facility for a period of 12 weeks. Results Supplementation resulted in a significant, positive effect on the hemoglobin levels of 85.3% of the children with a mean increase of 1.6g/dL (p<0.001). In children aging from 25 to 36 months and in those with lower hemoglobin levels at the beginning of supplementation, there was a significantly higher increase. No gastrointestinal problem or intolerance to the supplement was observed during the intervention period. Supplementation also had an impact on growth and on the height-for-age indicator (z-score) in children older than 12 months but there was no impact on weight and on the weight-for-height and weight-for-age indicators. Conclusion The results show that iron bis-glycinate chelate is an adequate supplement to treat iron deficiency anemia in young children since it is very well tolerated and promotes growth in children older than 12 months.