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Evidence summaries

Oral Iron Supplementation for Preventing or Treating Anaemia Among Children in Malaria-Endemic Areas

Iron supplementation does not increase the risk of clinical malaria or death in children in malaria-endemic areas, when regular malaria surveillance and treatment services are provided. Level of evidence: "A"

A Cochrane review [Abstract] 1 included 35 studies with a total of 31 955 children.

Overall, iron did not cause an excess of clinical malaria (RR 0.93, 95% CI 0.87 to 1.00; 14 trials, 7168 children). Iron probably does not cause an excess of clinical malaria in both populations where anaemia is common and those in which anaemia is uncommon. In areas where there are prevention and management services for malaria, iron (with or without folic acid) may reduce clinical malaria (RR 0.91, 95% CI 0.84 to 0.97; seven trials, 5586 participants), while in areas where such services are unavailable, iron (with or without folic acid) may increase the incidence of malaria, although the lower CIs indicate no difference (RR 1.16, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.31; nine trials, 19,086 participants). Iron supplementation does not cause an excess of severe malaria (RR 0.90, 95% CI 0.81 to 0.98; 6 trials, 3421 children). Any differences for deaths were no observed (control event rate 1%, low quality evidence). Iron and antimalarial treatment reduced clinical malaria (RR 0.54, 95% CI 0.43 to 0.67; three trials, 728 children). Overall, iron resulted in fewer anaemic children at follow up, and the end average change in haemoglobin from base line was higher with iron.

    References

    • euberger A, Okebe J, Yahav D et al. Oral iron supplements for children in malaria-endemic areas. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2016;(2):CD006589. [PubMed].

Primary/Secondary Keywords