What kind of milk can prevent infant's sideropenic anemia--comparative study.

Introduction: The most common cause of sideropenic anemia in infants, during the period of their fast growth and development, is inadequate nutrition or insufficient intake of food rich in iron. The aim of this paper is to provide the insight into the problem of anemia and to emphasize nutrition as an important etiologic factor in the onset and prevention of anemia in infants.

Material And Methods: Two retrospective studies were conducted at the Institute for Child and Youth Healthcare of Vojvodina. Department for Infant and Small Children's Pathology. The first study covered the period of eight years (1988-1995), and it included a total of 507 children, aged 1-24 months. The second study covered the period of two years (2010-2011) and a total of 290 children aged 1-12 months were included. The diagnosis of anemia was made according to clinical examination or after taking routine laboratory tests. According to the criteria of the World Health Organization, all children were divided into those with severe, moderate or mild anemia.

Results: Out of 507 children examined in the first study, 333 (65.68%) were breastfed, while 174 (34.32%) had never been breastfed. In the second study, 206 (71.03%) out of 290 children were breastfed, while 56 (19.31%) had never been breastfed. In both studies the highest percentage of children breastfed for the longest period was among children with mild form of anemia, while the children who were breastfed for the shortest period had severe anemia. In addition, the highest percentage of anemic children was supplementary fed with cow's milk in both studies.

Conclusion: Short natural diet, early introduction of supplementation and choice of milk could be determining factors in the development and manifestation of anemia.