Lower systolic blood pressure at age 7 y in low-birth-weight children who received iron supplements in infancy: results from a randomized controlled trial.

Low birth weight (LBW) (≤2500 g) is associated with iron deficiency in infancy and high blood pressure (BP) later in life. We investigated the effect of iron supplementation that was given to LBW infants on midchildhood BP. The study was a randomized, double-blind, controlled trial that included 285 marginally LBW (2000-2500-g) infants at 2 Swedish centers between May 2004 and November 2007.

Marginally low birthweight increases the risk of underweight and short stature at three and a half years of age.

Aim: Little is known about the long-term health of marginally low birthweight (LBW) children. This study characterised growth among infants weighing 2000 g-2500 g and explored the prevalence and predictors of sustained growth restriction.

Method: This prospective observational trial followed the weight and height of 281 Swedish marginally LBW children from birth to 3.

Overweight, Obesity, and Body Composition in 3.5- and 7-Year-Old Swedish Children Born with Marginally Low Birth Weight.

Objectives: To assess the prevalence of overweight/obese children and to explore body composition in a Swedish cohort of preschool children born with marginally low birth weight (MLBW, ie, 2000-2500 g).

Study Design: We included 285 Swedish children with MLBW (44% small for gestational age), and 95 control children with normal birth weights. At 3.

Effects of iron supplements and perinatal factors on fetal hemoglobin disappearance in LBW infants.

Background: The homeostatic mechanisms of iron metabolism and erythropoiesis in infants are unclear. Infants synthesize both fetal hemoglobin (HbF) and adult hemoglobin (HbA), and it is not known how the hemoglobin switch is regulated. We hypothesized that iron supplements to infants affect the disappearance of HbF.