Comparison of Infants with Low Birth Weight and Normal Weight Regarding Anemia at the Age of 12 Months in Yazd

Anemia is common in both age groups of 9-24 months and adolescence. Considering the fact that anemia in children is associated with various complications such as stunted growth, activity intolerance, behavioral changes, inattention, irritability and changes in the immune response, the aim of this study was to compare the frequency of anemia in infants with normal birth weight and LBW at 12 months of age.

This was an analytical study using the historical cohort method with a parallel design from February 2017 to July 2016. The study population was all the infants referred to health centers of Yazd at the age of 12 months for vaccination, who were monitored. 100 infants were selected and divided into two groups of 50 with normal birth weight (more than 2500 g) and the birth weight less than 2500 g by simple random sampling, and CBC and ferritin tests were run for them. In this study, the hemoglobin less than 11 was considered anemia, and finally, the data were analyzed by SPSS software.

The results showed that the two groups of the LBW and the normal weight were not different in terms of sex, but the type of feeding was different, and infants of LBW group used more powdered milk. 22% of LBW infants and 38% of normal weight infants were anemic.

According to the results of the study, it seems that the rate of anemia is due to the use of powdered milk,  iron supplements with higher doses for LBW infants early on, and better and constant care compared to infants with normal weight. However, more comprehensive studies with larger sample sizes can be effective in explaining these anemia-related factors in LBW infants.