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Iron Deficiency Anemia
Anemia means that the number of red blood cells in your child's body is below normal. Anemia is diagnosed when your child’s hemoglobin count (part of the complete blood count) is low. The red blood cells carry oxygen in the bloodstream, and iron is needed for your child's body to make red blood cells. Iron deficiency anemia is caused by a child getting too little iron from his or her diet.
Iron medicines
Iron is available as: (Feosol is one common brand name)
- Drops: 15 mg of elemental iron per 0.6cc (dropper bottle)
- Elixer: 44 mg of elemental iron per teaspoon (5 cc or ml)
- Pills: 60-65 mg of elemental iron per pill
Your child's dose is: _____cc / ml / pill(s), given _____times per day for at least 3 months.(until the anemia is corrected). The dose for teenagers: 60 mg 2X per day until anemia is corrected.
- This medicine contains iron and will need to be taken until your child's red blood cells return to a normal level (3-6 months).
- It can occasionally cause an upset stomach and should be taken with food to prevent this.
- Mix the iron medicine with a juice containing Vitamin C (orange juice, for example).
- This will improve iron absorption and prevent staining of the teeth. (NOTE: If the teeth become stained, the stain can be cleaned off with baking soda).
- The iron may change the color of bowel movements to greenish black, but this is harmless.
- Treat iron like any medicine. Too much iron can be dangerous. Keep it out of your child's reach.
Iron-Rich Diet
If your child's diet is well balanced, he or she will not get anemia again. The following foods contain iron:
- Meats, fish, and poultry have the most iron.
- Breads, chili beans, dried fruits, enriched cereals, green peas, kidney beans, lima beans, peanut butter, pinto beans, raisins, and sweet potatoes are other iron-rich foods.
- Spinach and egg yolks also contain iron, but it is in a form that is not readily available to the body.
- Your child should not drink more than 24 ounces of milk a day (about 3-4 glasses). Milk does not contain any iron.
Follow-Up Visits
Your child needs to have a repeat blood count done in 4-6 weeks to be sure the level of red blood cells in the blood has returned to normal.
The extra iron supplement should be continued until your child’s blood count has returned to normal and then another 3 months.
After this, your child should be placed on a multivitamin with iron (12-15 mg or elemental iron per vitamin).
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