Evidence · Systematic review or meta-analysis
Iron supplementation in preterm and low-birth-weight infants: a systematic review of intervention studies.
- Allied health
- Anaemia and transfusion
- Enteral feeding
- Growth
- Jaundice and haematology
- Medical
- Neurodevelopmental follow-up
- Nutrition and gastrointestinal
This paper is from 2019, more than five years ago. Newer evidence may have been published since.
Summary
This systematic review of 18 randomised controlled trials and 4 non-randomised interventions examines enteral iron supplementation in preterm and low-birth-weight infants. It assesses effects on iron status, growth, neurodevelopment and adverse clinical outcomes. Supplementation for at least eight weeks improved haemoglobin and ferritin and reduced iron deficiency and anaemia, with no effect on growth and limited evidence on neurodevelopmental outcomes. The authors highlight poor to fair study quality, neglect of iron overload, and the need for dose-response trials.
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- Licence:
- Open (Creative Commons)
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