Intermittent Iron Supplementation in Chinese Preschool Children is Efficient and Safe

Abstract

Iron deficiency in vulnerable groups is widespread in China, as in most developing countries, and iron supplementation has been accepted for many years as an effective targeted measure to control it. However, the current practice of daily dosing frequently causes unfavourable side effects that result in non-compliance. We randomly assigned 238 3–6-year-old children attending a kindergarten in Changji City, Xinjiang, China, of whom 37% were anaemic, to receive 6 mg of iron per kilogram of body weight as FeSO₄ daily, twice a week, or weekly under direct supervision for three months. The weekly dose was as effective as the daily dose in controlling anaemia, had insignificant side effects (4% of the children experienced side effects in contrast to 36% of those receiving the daily dose), and, on the evidence of serum ferritin distribution patterns, avoided temporary iron overload. The twice-weekly dose had no advantages over the weekly dose. On the basis of these results, long-term targeted preventive supplementation with weekly doses of iron should be considered among groups where iron deficiency and anaemia are prevalent.