Table of Contents
How does iron deficiency affect child development?
In children iron deficiency develops slowly and produces few acute symptoms. As the deficiency worsens children become pale and weak, eat less, and tire easily. They gain weight poorly, have frequent respiratory and intestinal infections, and may develop pica.
Is iron deficiency cause speech delay?
Children affected by Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA) have shown iron-deficiency associated with psychomotor and cognitive abnormalities, impact language and learning acquisition in children[1].
Can iron deficiency during childhood impair neurological development?
Detecting iron deficiency early during pregnancy and in young children is crucial. Iron deficiency in children under two years of age can have significant and irreversible effects on brain development. This can lead to negative consequences on learning and school performance later in life.
Does iron deficiency cause learning disabilities?
Iron deficiency has been previously considered a potent cause of poor cognitive impairment, learning disabilities, and psychomotor instability.
Can low iron cause autism?
The study authors also discovered that mothers 35 years of age and older who had low iron intake had a five times greater risk of having a child with autism. Others at that higher level of risk were women with metabolic conditions, such as obesity, high blood pressure or diabetes.
Does anemia cause mental retardation?
Results: Logistic regression showed an increased likelihood of mild or moderate mental retardation associated with anemia, independent of birth weight, maternal education, sex, race-ethnicity, the mother’s age, or the child’s age at entry into the WIC program.
How does iron deficiency affect behavior?
This review has examined recent evidence from research on central nervous system biochemistry and from human studies that iron deficiency adversely affects behavior by impairing cognitive function, producing noncognitive disturbances, and limiting activity and work capacity.
Can iron supplements improve autism?
Blood samples were obtained. Thirty-three children completed the study. Seventy-seven percent had restless sleep at baseline, which improved significantly with iron therapy, suggesting a relationship between sleep disturbance and iron deficiency in children with autism spectrum disorder.
Does anemia cause speech problems?
These symptoms can be associated with different medical conditions including multiple sclerosis and anemia, although slurred speech is less common with anemia. Mononucleosis is an infection that causes fatigue and severe sore throat that could cause speech problems.
Why is iron important for development?
Why is iron important for children? Iron helps move oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body and helps muscles store and use oxygen. If your child’s diet lacks iron, he or she might develop a condition called iron deficiency. Iron deficiency in children is a common problem.
Is iron linked to autism?
Does anemia lower IQ?
Symptoms of sickle-cell anemia often include severe pain and other major medical complications, but a new study shows that the disease might also decrease cognitive abilities in young and middle-aged adults.
Can low iron cause ADHD symptoms?
They suggest that low iron stores may explain as much as 30% of ADHD severity. This correlation suggests that the iron deficient children are mainly inattentive and distractible and suffer from learning disabilities, a finding consistent with the role of iron deficiency in cognitive deficits and mental retardation.
Does iron help with ADHD?
Iron supplementation (80 mg/day) appeared to improve ADHD symptoms in children with low serum ferritin levels suggesting a need for future investigations with larger controlled trials. Iron therapy was well tolerated and effectiveness is comparable to stimulants.
Is low iron linked to autism?
The current studies confirm that deficiencies of iron and Vitamin D and anemia were higher in autistic compared to control children. The results suggest that serum ferritin levels should be monitored in every case of autism as a part of baseline investigation.
How does iron affect growth and development?
Iron is a key nutrient and is essential for the developing fetus, neonate, infant, and child. Iron requirements are high during early stages of life because it is critically important for the production of new red blood cells and muscle cells as well as brain development.
Can lack of iron cause autism?
Does iron deficiency affect cognition?
“Iron deficiency has been previously considered a potent cause of poor cognitive impairment, learning disabilities, and psychomotor instability…it is worth considering that iron deficiency (low serum ferritin level) could lead to ADHD symptoms”
What is the prevalence of iron deficiency in children with developmental delay?
In children with global developmental delay without ASD, the prevalence of iron depletion was 1.8% (95% CI 0-9.7%), that of iron deficiency 5.5% (95% CI 1.1-15.1%) and that of iron deficiency anaemia 5.5% (95% CI 1.1-15.1%).
Can iron therapy reverse the adverse effects of iron deficiency anemia?
The study shows that iron therapy can revert some of the adverse effects in the development of children with IDA and therefore both IDA prevention and treatment can be justified. [Developmental delay in children with iron deficiency anemia.
What is the prevalence of iron deficiency anemia in autism spectrum disorder?
In children with ASD with or without global developmental delay, the prevalence of iron depletion was 3.0% (95% CI 0.4-10.4%), that of iron deficiency 7.5% (95% CI 2.5-16.6%) and that of iron deficiency anaemia 3.0% (95% CI 0.4-10.4%).
What are the risk factors for iron deficiency?
Thus, as with several other risk factors, 36 37 38 39 40 41 such as low birth weight, elevated blood lead levels, and generalized undernutrition, a worse developmental outcome in infants with iron deficiency may be inextricably linked to perinatal and environmental factors. 31 , 42