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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Babies who lack enough iron in their blood are at risk for long-term learning problems. The effect is especially strong in kids who come from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.
These findings come from University of Michigan in Ann Arbor researchers who studied lower-class and middle-class children in Costa Rica over about a 20-year period. All of the children were first tested for iron levels at about 17 months old. Those found to be iron deficient were treated with iron therapy.
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Children who still had an iron deficiency after three months of treatment were compared to those who had adequate iron levels, either initially or following treatment. The iron deficient children scored about eight points lower on cognitive tests. Tests were repeated throughout childhood, revealing children from lower socioeconomic groups bore the largest burden over time.
The researchers report the gap just grew larger for children from lower socioeconomic groups as they aged. Middle class kids maintained the eight-point gap. Those in the lower class who had suffered from iron deficiency in infancy were scoring 25 points lower than their peers with adequate iron levels.
"Acquisition of new skills is intimately linked to mastery of skills at an earlier developmental level," write the authors. "If direct and indirect effects of early iron deficiency on the brain disrupted or delayed basic developmental processes, there could be a snowball effect. In an economically stressed family environment, there might not be the resources or capacity to help children compensate."
The researchers report more needs to be done to identify children at risk for iron deficiency so the condition can be prevented before it has a chance to adversely affect young brains.
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
SOURCE: Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 2006;160:1108-1113
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