Abstract
Objective: To assess iron deficiency (ID) in international adoptees after adoption. Study design: Participants (n = 37) were adopted into the United States from Eastern Europe before they were 24 months of age. Baseline (within 1 month post-adoption) and follow-up (6 months post-adoption) assessments included routine post-adoption clinical evaluations, anthropometrics, dietary intakes, and iron measures (hemogram and serum analysis). Results: At adoption and follow-up, mean percent transferrin saturation and mean corpucuscular volume were low compared with the US population. Mean serum ferritin concentration became lower than the US population at follow-up, although the mean daily iron intake was more than the Recommended Dietary Allowance. Participants with Giardia lamblia at baseline had more compromised iron status at baseline and follow-up. Growth rate (change in z-score/months between assessments) was negatively correlated with change in serum ferritin concentrations between baseline and follow-up (r = -0.34; P < .05). Conclusions: International adoptees had compromised iron status, with ID more prevalent in participants with G lamblia, a parasite that may interfere with iron absorption. The persistent ID at follow-up was likely caused by the erythropoietic demands of catch-up growth.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 272-277 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Journal of Pediatrics |
Volume | 153 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Aug 2008 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Supported in part by a grant from the Genentech Center for Clinical Research in Endocrinology to Dr Petryk and in part by a grant (M01-RR00400) from the National Center for Research Resources, National Institutes of Health, to the General Clinical Research Center at the University of Minnesota.