To establish the relationship between maternal and infant iron status, and its relationship to the onset of iron-deficiency anemia in infancy. RESULTS Females who were iron deficient prior to pregnancy gave birth to infants with low iron levels. Those infants were more likely to develop iron-deficiency anemia by 6 months of age. This suggests the need for close monitoring of iron status both prior to and during pregnancy to insure the hematological health of the infant. DISCUSSION Iron deficiency anemia is still prevalent in many parts of the world. It is the most common deficiency during pregnancy, and continues to affect 30-80% of infants worldwide. We have previously found a transient anemia in some infants in our studies. Therefore, we undertook a pilot study with 5 iron-deficient and 5 iron-sufficient multiparous females, to investigate the cause of the infant anemia. Iron status was monitored during pregnancy, and through 6 months postpartum. Infants were similarly assessed through 6 months of age. At parturition, serum ferritin levels were significantly different in the 2 groups of females. Infant ferritin and iron levels reflected the iron status of the mother. Six months later, iron-deficient mothers still had much lower iron stores. Infants with low ferritin at birth, had low ferritin at weaning. In addition, the hematological status of the infants over the first 6 months of life was a reflection of their iron stores at birth. Our data sugg est that infants born to mothers with low iron status are at a high risk for developing iron-deficiency anemia. FUTURE DIRECTIONS To continue this research on iron in the infants, and its relationship to cognitive and behavioral development. KEY WORDS anemia, iron deficiency, pregnancy, Macaca mulatta FUNDING NIMH MH41659-12 and NIH P51 RR00167-38
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