| Summary: | Iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) affect approximately two billion people worldwide and most of them reside in low- and middle-income countries. In these countries, additional causes of anemia include parasitic infections like malaria, other nutritional deficiencies, chronic diseases, hemoglobinopathies and lead poisoning. Maternal anemia in resource-poor nations is associated with low birth weight, increased perinatal mortality and decreased work productivity. Maintaining a normal iron balance in these settings is challenging, as iron-rich foods with good bioavailability are of animal origin that are expensive and/or available in short supply. Apart from infrequent consumption of meat, inadequate vitamin C intake and diets rich in inhibitors of iron absorption are additional important risk factors for IDA in low-income countries. In-home iron fortification of complementary foods with micronutrient powders has been shown to effectively reduce the risk of iron deficiency and IDA in infants and young children in developing countries but is associated with unfavorable changes in gut flora and induction of intestinal inflammation that may lead to diarrhea and hospitalization. In developed countries, iron deficiency is the only frequent micronutrient deficiency. In the industrialized world, IDA is more common in infants beyond the sixth month of life, in adolescent females with heavy menstrual bleeding, in women of childbearing age and elderly people. Other special at-risk populations for IDA in developed countries are regular blood donors, endurance athletes and vegetarians. Several medicinal ferrous or ferric oral iron products exist, and their use is not apparently associated with harmful effects on the overall incidence of infectious illnesses in sideropenic and/or anemic subjects. Further research is needed to clarify the risks and benefits of supplemental iron for children exposed to parasitic infections in the third world, and for children genetically predisposed to iron overload.
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