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Iron Stores in Low and Normal Birth Weight Infants at Birth and in Early Infancy

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Abstract

Serum ferritin levels of low birth weight (LBW; BW < 2,500 g) and normal birth weight (NBW; BW ≥ 2,500 g) infants were evaluated at birth and at 3 mo using electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. At birth, levels were 318.6 (31.0–829.5) ng/mL in LBW (n = 217) and 366.2 (122.4–858.5) ng/mL in NBW infants (n = 116; p < 0.01), with 1.4 % of LBW and none of the NBW infants having levels <12 ng/mL (p = 0.20). At follow up, levels were 66.9 (4.5–567.7) ng/mL in LBW (n = 126) and 126.2 (6.8–553.7) ng/mL in NBW infants (n = 76; p = 0.27), with 11.9 % of LBW and 11.8 % of NBW infants having levels <12 ng/mL (p = 0.80).

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Acknowledgments

RA, AKD, VKP designed research (project conception, development of overall research plan, and study oversight) and shall be the overall guarantor; DV, MLJ, SB, AA, VD conducted research; NG carried out the laboratory analysis, SG, MJS, RA analyzed data, performed statistical analysis; SG, MJS, RA wrote paper.

Investigators of LBW Micronutrient Study Group

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AIIMS:

Agarwal R (PI), Paul VK, Deorari AK, Sreenivas V, Gupta S, Sankar MJ, Suresh S, Saxena M, Thukral A, Mittal D, Rakesh G, Thomas S, Kuriakose R, Thareja A, Tanupriya, Sarasan S, Honeymol KC, Lal S, Bijoi J

Swami Dayanand Hospital:

Jaipal ML (PI), Devgan V (PI), Agarwal A (PI), Venugopal M, Saini A, Bisht SS, Tyagi A, Grover R, Kumari G

Kasturba Hospital:

Virmani DN (PI), Bhatia S (PI), Jaipal ML (PI), Kudesia M, Duggal AK, Govil A, Verma KK, Mehta S

ICMR:

Toteja GS, Rao S, Gupta P

Conflict of Interest

None.

Role of Funding Source

Indian Council of Medical Research, Delhi.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India

    Ramesh Agarwal, Shuchita Gupta, Mari Jeeva Sankar, Nandita Gupta, Ashok K. Deorari & Vinod K. Paul

  2. Department of Pediatrics, Swami Dayanand Hospital, New Delhi, India

    Munnalal Jaipal, Anand Agarwal & Veena Devgan

  3. Department of Pediatrics, Kasturba Hospital, New Delhi, India

    Deenanath Virmani & Sunita Bhatia

  4. Department of Pediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Newborn Health Knowledge Centre (NHKC), Ansari Nagar, New Delhi, 110029, India

    Ramesh Agarwal

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  1. Ramesh Agarwal
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  2. Deenanath Virmani
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  3. Munnalal Jaipal
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Investigators of LBW Micronutrient Study Group

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Correspondence to Ramesh Agarwal.

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Agarwal, R., Virmani, D., Jaipal, M. et al. Iron Stores in Low and Normal Birth Weight Infants at Birth and in Early Infancy. Indian J Pediatr 81, 279–282 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12098-013-1176-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12098-013-1176-7

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