Iron deficiency anemia in children is a type of nutritional deficiency disease. It is also a hemoglobin synthesis disorder caused by insufficient intake of iron and cannot meet daily needs. The content of red blood cells and Hb will decrease, and the symptoms of anemia will appear.
The occurrence of iron deficiency anemia in children will not only affect the growth and development of the children, but also have a certain impact on their intelligence. The main reason for this disease is insufficient iron intake, which is closely related to children's nutritional and dietary imbalance such as partial eating and picky eating. It can be seen that it is very important to make nutritional intervention in the process of implementing iron deficiency anemia intervention in children.
1. So what are the specific measures for intervention?
① Most parents of children lack awareness of iron deficiency anemia in children, and the children may become overly nervous or not pay attention to it after the onset of the disease. Therefore, parents need to know more about iron deficiency anemia in children, such as causes, symptoms, preventive measures, etc.
② Correct children's habit of eating partially, master foods rich in iron and easy to absorb in life, let children eat more foods such as lean meat, animal liver, green leafy vegetables, fruits, egg yolks and kelp, ensure the diversity of children's diet, and meet the daily iron intake according to children's preferences.
③Supplement children with iron-fortified foods such as vitamin C, vitamin B12 and probiotics to ensure the full supply and absorption of nutrients in children. We must avoid eating foods such as soy milk, tea products, and soda biscuits, tannin , etc., which hinder the absorption of iron, and avoid affecting the absorption of iron.
2. At present, in addition to the treatment of etiology, the main treatment method for iron deficiency anemia is oral supplementation of iron agent .
Traditionally, the dose of iron supplementation for children is 1 to 2 mg/kg of iron, 2 to 3 times/d. The most common adverse reactions are gastrointestinal reactions such as nausea, vomiting, and black stool, which limits clinical application.
Therefore, compared with traditional iron agents, the third generation of new iron supplementation agent iron dextran oral liquid has been trusted by many people. Because iron dextran oral solution is a polymer complex composed of trivalent iron micromolecule dextran, hydroxide compounds, etc., it can be quickly melted into water. After forming a hydrophilic colloid, it can attach to the small intestinal mucosa and colon, and interact with dextran fibers to produce decomposition, thereby improving the absorption efficiency of iron elements and reversing the negative balance of iron metabolism in patients.
Increases hemoglobin concentration to improve the body blood circulation , and is not easy to cause additional stimulation to the patient's gastrointestinal function, which is conducive to the recovery of multiple tissue functions in the patient, improves the patient's own immunity, and effectively reduces the risk of adverse reactions. The oral iron agent tastes sweet and does not have the rust smell of traditional iron agents. It is difficult for children to resist, and parents are more worried about feeding them.
Compared with conventional iron supplements such as ferrous sulfate , oral administration of iron dextran is not easy to stimulate the gastrointestinal mucosa of the patient. It mainly accumulates in the liver, kidney, spleen and other important organs in the form of hemosiderin for a long time, which is conducive to maintaining the normal function of other important organs and maintaining the body's endocrine stability while correcting the symptoms of anemia.
- However, there are still these points to taking oral iron agents. I hope parents will pay attention to it:
(1) Missed taking: If you missed iron agent, skip this time and take it according to the regular dosage and schedule. Do not double the dosage.
(2) Storage: Please place iron in a place that is not easy for children to access to to avoid children's mistaken eating.
(3) Notes: Do not take iron supplements, antacids or calcium supplements at the same time at least 1-2 hours apart. If you take long-acting or coated iron and the feces are not darkened, you should see a doctor because it is possible that the tablet does not dissolve well in the stomach and leads to insufficient absorption. This is also one of the reasons why most people choose oral liquid.
(4) Early symptoms of overdose of iron:
Diarrhea (may contain blood), fever, nausea, stomachache or spasm , severe vomiting (may contain blood), other side effects that are not medically meaningful may also occur. As the treatment progresses, the side effects will automatically disappear after the child's body adapts to the iron agent. However, contact your doctor if the following side effects persist.
●Common: constipation, diarrhea, leg cramps, nausea, vomiting.
●Rare: black urine, heartburn, teeth staining.
When taking oral iron preparations, the feces usually turn dark green or black, which is caused by unabsorbed iron and are harmless. However, in rare cases, sticky black stool usually occurs simultaneously with other side effects such as red silk in the stool, cramps, pain, or sharp pain in the stomach and abdominal areas. If these side effects occur, contact your family doctor immediately.
- Conclusion:
Nutritional intervention is an intervention method that is currently widely used in clinical practice. Its application helps children's parents have sufficient understanding of the disease of iron deficiency anemia, provide dietary guidance, promote nutrition absorption, increase iron intake, and improve the symptoms and condition of the children to a certain extent.
Iron deficiency anemia is relatively common in children. The main work of child care is to advance nutritional intervention and prevention. After anemia occurs, targeted nutritional guidance should be given. If necessary, iron supplement drugs can be used and close monitoring can be done. Through early intervention, more ideal results can be achieved, and anemia can be avoided to a certain extent.
Reference materials:
[1] Zhang Fan, Wang Zhiping. The application effect of dextran iron dispersed tablets in the treatment of iron deficiency anemia during pregnancy [J]. China Contemporary Medicine, 2021, 28(27):140-142+146.
[2] Liu Baohong. The effect of nutritional intervention on iron deficiency anemia in children [J]. China Urban and Rural Enterprise Health, 2022, 37(06):109-111.
