What to do if your seven-month-old baby has iron deficiency anemia?

Everyone knows about anemia, and of course there are many types of anemia. Different symptoms and different diseases require different treatments. Iron deficiency anemia in a seven-month-old baby is a type of anemia, so it cannot be treated in the same way as anemia. In this way, other symptoms will not occur, hindering the healthy growth of the baby. Let’s take a look at what to do if your seven-month-old baby has iron deficiency anemia?

The principle is to supplement iron and eliminate the cause of the disease.

1. Iron treatment Iron is a specific medicine for the treatment of iron deficiency anemia. There are many types of iron. Generally, oral inorganic salts are the most economical, convenient and effective method. Divalent iron is easier to absorb than trivalent iron, so it is more commonly used. Commonly used ones are ferrous sulfate, which contains 20% iron; and ferrous fumarate, which contains 30% iron. For the convenience of administration for infants, it is often prepared into a 2.5% ferrous sulfate solution (2.5g ferrous sulfate, 2.9ml dilute hydrochloric acid, 12.5g glucose, 100ml chloroform water). The dosage should be calculated according to the iron element contained. According to experiments, 4.5-6 mg/kg·d, taken in 3 divided doses, is appropriate (after conversion, ferrous sulfate 0.03 g/kg/day; ferrous fumarate 0.02 g/kg/day; 2.5% ferrous sulfate mixture 1.2 ml/kg·d). This amount can reach the maximum limit of absorption. If it exceeds this amount, the absorption will decrease, and the irritation to the gastric mucosa will increase. Excessive dosage may cause poisoning. It is best to take the medicine between meals, which can reduce irritation to the gastric mucosa and facilitate absorption. It should be avoided to take it at the same time as large amounts of milk, because milk contains high phosphorus, which can affect the absorption of iron.

Vitamin C can reduce trivalent iron to divalent iron, making it easier to dissolve, so that the pH in the small intestine increases and the iron can still be kept in a dissolved state. For example, adding 60 mg of vitamin C to rice can increase iron absorption by 3 times. Therefore, it is best to take vitamin C while taking iron supplements. If vitamin C is taken 4 hours before taking iron supplements, this effect will not occur.

For the very few children who have strong reactions, you can use ferrous gluconate, which is less irritating, or reduce the dose of the above iron preparation to half, and then increase it to the usual dose after the symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or stomach discomfort disappear. For children who cannot tolerate oral iron, have severe diarrhea and severe anemia, iron injection should be considered. Commonly used iron injections include: iron dextran, containing 50 mg of iron per ml, for intramuscular injection; ferric oxide containing sugar, containing 20 mg of iron per ml, for intravenous injection. Intramuscular injection of iron can cause local pain and urticaria, and may also cause fever, joint pain, headache, or local lymph node enlargement. Thrombophlebitis may also occur with intravenous iron administration. The therapeutic effect of injected iron is not faster than oral administration, so it should be used with caution.

Iron therapy generally needs to be continued for at least 6 to 8 weeks after red blood cell and hemoglobin levels reach normal. Due to iron deficiency anemia, not only does hemoglobin decrease, but the stored iron is also used up. As children continue to grow and develop, their blood volume continues to expand, and their diet cannot meet their iron needs, the goal of treatment should not only be to correct iron deficiency anemia, but also to store enough iron for later use. Vitamin B12, folic acid or liver essence are ineffective in treating iron deficiency anemia and should not be abused.

2. Treatment of the cause Most of the diseases are caused by improper diet, so it is necessary to improve the diet and feed them properly. Some mild cases can be cured simply by improving their diet. When improving the diet, the first thing to do is to give the child appropriate food according to his or her age. Because children have poor digestive ability, changing and adding complementary foods must be done with caution. Generally, a few days after the start of drug treatment, when clinical symptoms improve, complementary foods should be gradually added to avoid indigestion caused by increasing food too quickly. For babies around 1 year old, eggs, vegetable puree, liver and minced meat can be added. Infants and children must correct their picky eating habits and be given foods rich in iron, vitamin C and protein.

For chronic intestinal blood loss caused by consuming large amounts of fresh milk, the amount of milk should be reduced to less than 500 ml per day, or milk powder, evaporated milk or milk substitute should be used instead. For intestinal malformations, hookworm disease, etc., surgical operation or deworming should be performed after anemia is corrected.

3. Blood transfusion is generally not required because the onset is slow and the body's compensatory ability is strong. Blood transfusion is only indicated for patients with moderate anemia, severe infection, or urgent need for surgical operation. For those with hemoglobin below 30g/L, blood transfusion should be performed immediately, but it must be done in small amounts and multiple times, or concentrated red blood cells should be transfused, 2 to 3ml/kg each time. Transfusing blood too quickly or in too large an amount can cause heart failure. If heart failure is severe, transfusion can be used to replace whole blood with concentrated red blood cells. Generally, hepatic erythrocyte sedimentation rate (HRS) is not required.

Reaction after treatment: 12 to 24 hours after taking iron supplements, the iron-containing enzymes in the cells begin to recover, and the clinical symptoms first improve, mental symptoms such as irritability are alleviated, and appetite increases. After 36 to 48 hours, erythroid proliferation appears in the bone marrow. Reticulocytes begin to grow in expenditure 48 to 72 hours after medication and reach a peak on the 4th to 11th day. At this time, hemoglobin rises rapidly, and anemia is usually corrected after 3 to 4 weeks of treatment. The heart murmur will decrease or disappear after 2 to 3 weeks, and the spleen will gradually shrink. After 1 to 3 months of medication, iron storage reaches normal levels.

What to do if your seven-month-old baby has iron deficiency anemia? The above article has given you a detailed introduction. In this way, if your child has this disease, you can treat it according to the above content. However, parents are reminded that when treating their children, they should also help them recover their health based on their children's physical constitution.