Reticulocyte hemoglobin content changes after treatment of anemia of prematurity.
Pediatr Int
; 64(1): e15330, 2022 Jan.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-36321339
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Iron deficiency during infancy is associated with poor neurological development, but iron overload causes severe complications. Appropriate iron supplementation is therefore vital. Reticulocyte hemoglobin content (RET-He) provides a real-time assessment of iron status and chracterezes hemoglobin synthesis in preterm infants. However, the existing literature lacks detailed reports assessing chronological changes in RET-He. The aim of this study was to assess the chronological changes in RET-He during oral iron dietary supplementation, and concomitant therapy with recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) in preterm very low birthweight infants.METHODS:
Very low birthweight infants, admitted to our neonatal intensive care unit were analyzed retrospectively. Hemoglobin (Hb), reticulocyte percentage (Ret), mean corpuscular volume, RET-He, serum iron (Fe), and serum ferritin were recorded. Data at birth (T0), the initial day of rHuEPO therapy (T1), the initial day of oral iron supplementation (T2), 1-2 weeks (T3), 3-4 weeks (T4), 5-6 weeks (T5), and 7-8 weeks (T6) from the initial day of oral iron supplementation were extracted, and their changes over time were examined.RESULTS:
Reticulocyte hemoglobin content was highest at birth and declined rapidly thereafter, especially after starting rHuEPO therapy. There was no upward trend in RET-He after the initiation of oral iron supplementation, with a slower increase during 5-6 weeks after the initiation of iron therapy.CONCLUSIONS:
During the treatment of anemia of prematurity, low RET-He levels may be prolonged. Anemia of prematurity should therefore be assessed and treated on a case-by-case basis, while considering the iron metabolic capacity of preterm infants.Key words
Full text:
1
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Erythropoietin
/
Anemia, Iron-Deficiency
/
Infant, Premature, Diseases
/
Anemia
Type of study:
Etiology_studies
/
Observational_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Language:
En
Journal:
Pediatr Int
Year:
2022
Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Japan