Pediatric Anemia

1. See Also
   1. Anemia
2. Epidemiology
   1. Iron Deficiency Anemia present in 10% of ages 1-3 years
   2. Eden (1997) Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 151:986-8
3. Causes
   1. See Pediatric Anemia Causes
4. Risk Factors: Anemia (esp. Iron Deficiency Anemia)
   1. Premature Infants
   2. Low birth weight infants
   3. Recent Immigrants from developing countries
   4. Infants from low-income families
   5. Main dietary intake is unfortified cow's milk
      1. Cow's milk within first year is greatest risk factor
   6. Infant formula with low or no iron (<6.7 mg/Liter iron)
   7. Breastfeeding without Iron Supplementation after 6 months
5. Screening
   1. See Screening Tests under labs below
   2. Screen newborns with Hemoglobin electrophoresis (see Newborn Screen)
   3. Screening recommendations differ between CDC, AAP, and USPTF
   4. Screening guidelines are similar but not identical between CDC, AAP, USPTF
      1. Universal screening is not recommended
      2. Identify high risk groups for Anemia (see risk factors above)
      3. Anemia screening at 9-12 months and then again 6 months later for children in high risk groups
      4. CDC recommends re-screening high risk groups annually between ages 2-5 years
      5. CDC recommends screening all non-pregnant women every 5-10 years for Anemia starting at Menarche
6. Signs and Symptoms
   1. See Anemia Clinical Clues
   2. Fatigue
   3. Apathy
   4. Growth delay
   5. Developmental delay
   6. Increased infection rate
7. Labs
   1. See Anemia Labs
   2. Goal: Diagnose iron deficiency prior to Anemia
   3. Sample acquisition
      1. Do not draw within 2-3 weeks of fever or infection
      2. Venipuncture
      3. Capillary Puncture
   4. Initial Anemia screening labs
      1. Hemoglobin
      2. Precaution
         1. Hemoglobin And Hematocrit have low efficacy as a screening tool
            1. Poorly detect Iron Deficiency Anemia
            2. Poor Test Sensitivity and Test Specificity
         2. Consider Ferritin and TIBC if suspicious for Iron Deficiency Anemia despite normal Hemoglobin
         3. Some authors recommend empiric Iron Supplementation
            1. White (2005) Pediatrics 115:315-20
      3. More accurate Anemia screening measures
         1. ReticulocyteHemoglobin content
            1. Iron Deficiency Anemia suggested when <27.5
            2. Test Sensitivity: 83%
            3. Test Specificity:72%
         2. Reference
            1. Ullrich (2005) JAMA 294:924-30
      4. Cutoffs for Anemia
         1. See Hematocrit Cutoffs for Anemia
         2. See Hemoglobin Cutoffs for Anemia
8. Evaluation
   1. See Anemia Evaluation
   2. Consider causes above
9. Management: General
   1. See below for Microcytic Anemia
   2. See Anemia topics in adults
      1. Microcytic Anemia
      2. Macrocytic Anemia
      3. Normocytic Anemia
10. Management: Microcytic Anemia
    1. See Iron Deficiency Anemia
    2. Criteria for empiric treatment in young child
       1. Findings consistent with iron deficiency
    3. Protocol
       1. Ferrous Sulfate 3-6 mg/kg/day before breakfast
       2. Anticipate Hgb increase 1.0 g/dl by 4 weeks
          1. Increase appropriate: Continue iron for 2-3 months
          2. Not appropriate
             1. Evaluate other causes (blood loss)
             2. Consider Hemoglobin electrophoresis
       3. Consider Differential Diagnosis (See above)
          1. See Microcytic Anemia
          2. Thalassemia (See Mentzer Index)
11. Complications
    1. Pediatric Anemia may result in life-long deficits
       1. Effects persist despite correction of Anemia
       2. Prevent deficits by diagnosing iron deficiency early
    2. Motor Effects
       1. Decreased gross and fine motor coordination
    3. Cognitive effects
       1. Lower scores on Intelligence Testing
       2. Longterm functional Impairment in school
    4. Behavioral effects
       1. Fearfulness and unhapiness
       2. Early Fatigue, less playful, clingy
    5. References
       1. Lozoff (2000) Pediatrics 105:E51
12. Prevention
    1. Formula-fed infants should use only full iron formula
       1. Never use low iron infant formula (no GI benefit)
       2. Do not use with iron-containing vitamins
    2. Limit unfortified cow's milk
       1. No cow's milk should be given under age 1 year
       2. Limit cow's milk to <24 ounces ages 1-2 years
    3. Supplement Breast Feeding
       1. Term infants need 1 mg/kg/day elemental iron
          1. Start supplement at 6 months of age
       2. Preterm and low-weight infants need 2 mg/kg/day
          1. Start supplement at 2-4 weeks of age
       3. Options
          1. Ferrous Sulfate drops
          2. Infant Vitamin Drops (10 mg elemental iron/dropper)
    4. Other measures
       1. Maintain varied diet
       2. Iron fortified cereal
       3. Avoid excessive juice intake
13. Resources
    1. MMWR Iron Deficiency Anemia Prevention
       1. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/rr/rr4703.pdf
14. References
    1. (1998) MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 47:1-29
    2. Irwin (2001) Am Fam Physician 64(8):1379-86
    3. Kazal (2002) Am Fam Physician 66(7):1217-27
    4. Janus (2010) Am Fam Physician 81(12): 1462-71