Practitioner awareness of low iron among infants will support early intervention to improve outcomes, writes Dr Jamie Tan, Head of Paediatrics at Joondalup Health Campus.
One of the most surprising findings so far from ORIGINS is that one in three Western Australian children at 12 months, and nearly two in three at three years, can be classified as having low iron.
The big question we are now asking is: why are we seeing such low iron levels in this cohort of patients?
The IRON Child ORIGINS sub-project was born from the need to make sense of this data. It seeks to investigate the reasons for low iron levels and provide information and advice to parents and clinicians on early intervention measures.
This is critical as we know iron is crucial for infants and toddlers, including for immunity and oxygen transport through to the blood.
RELATED: Fussy eating in children: when should we worry?
Low iron can affect eating habits, sleep and speech and may result in infants and toddlers presenting as lethargic or grumpy. If left untreated, low iron and anaemia may also lead to neurocognitive and behavioural issues.
One area of focus includes the investigation of possible links between iron deficiency and childhood mental health, behaviour, and neurodevelopmental conditions, including ADHD.
Practical advice
For practitioners, being aware of the levels of prevalence that we have found may allow them to either prescribe further tests to look for low iron or anaemia, or to provide education on simple, low-cost, and effective ways of improving iron intake in children. These changes include boosting iron-rich foods in the diet and potentially decreasing milk consumption alongside eating those foods.
One of the benefits of the way the ORIGINS study is being conducted is that millions of data points are being made accessible to researchers both locally and globally. Co-Directors Professor Desiree Silva and Dr Jackie Davis also decided to incorporate real-time feedback, giving parents near-immediate access to data, including test results.
This information equips parents and caretakers with the ability to act – whether through consultation with their general practitioner, paediatrician, or other specialists or allied health professionals.
We know first-hand from parents in Joondalup, that this was one of the key drivers of them signing up for the study and one of the benefits they most value.
Knowledge to act
While long-term outcomes will take time to emerge, the knowledge that has already come to light gives us scope to intervene. So far, more than 800 children across the two projects have been identified as being low in iron, with parents or caretakers notified and provided with nutritional advice.
RELATED: New mental health app helps mums and bubs
The IRON Child team is also harnessing the power of artificial intelligence to help analyse data, with the ultimate aim to prevent and treat issues caused by iron deficiency before they become clinically significant.
The work being done will also shape appropriate WA guidelines and provide data for national and international review via the World Health Organisation 2025 Anaemia Policy Brief.
ED: The ORIGINS study is a longitudinal cohort study following the health of 10,000 babies born at Joondalup Health Campus in collaboration with The Kids Research Institute Australia.
Dr Tan is part of the ORIGINS study.
Want more news, clinicals, features and guest columns delivered straight to you? Subscribe for free to WA’s only independent magazine for medical practitioners.
Want to submit an article? Email editor@mforum.com.au