Join us today where we discuss one of the most common causes of microcytic anemia in pediatric patients. 

Follow us on Twitter @Pediagogypod and connect with us at pediagogypod@gmail.com 

This episode was written by Dr. Tammy Yau and Dr. Lidia Park, with content support from Dr. Anjali Pawar, Dr. Lena van der List, and Dr. Su-Ting Li. Drs. Tammy and Lidia take full responsibility for any errors or misinformation. 

Key points: 

-Excessive milk consumption inhibits iron absorption. Limit to 16-24 oz/day  

-Iron supplementation dosing depends on gestational age and major food source. Prevention vs treatment dosing also differ. 

-Mentzer index greater than 13 indicates iron deficiency anemia 

Supplemental information 

2010 AAP Pediatrics guidelines: https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/126/5/1040/65343/Diagnosis-and-Prevention-of-Iron-Deficiency-and?autologincheck=redirected  

2020 JAMA Network – vitamin C and irom deficiency anemia: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2772395#:~:text=Vitamin%20C%20is%20the%20only,shown%20to%20promote%20iron%20absorption.&text=Iron%20absorption%20occurs%20predominantly%20in,small%20intestine%20mucosal%20epithelial%20cells 

2017 AAP Pediatrics in Review – infant nutrition: https://publications.aap.org/pediatricsinreview/article/38/10/449/32000/Updates-in-Infant-Nutrition 

2014 Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment – iron deficiency anemia and cognitive function: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4235202/