Abstract
Background
We evaluated the association between etiology of maternal anemia and iron status throughout infancy.
Methods
Samples from a study designed to examine Praziquantel treatment during pregnancy were used (n = 359). All women were infected with schistosomiasis and randomized to Praziquantel or placebo at 16 ± 2 weeks’ gestation. Hemoglobin, serum ferritin (SF), soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR), hepcidin, C-reactive protein, and interleukin-6 were measured in maternal and infant blood. The relationship between both maternal Praziquantel treatment and etiology of anemia and infant iron status was evaluated.
Results
Maternal iron-deficiency anemia was associated with increased risk of infant anemia at 6 months of age. Infants of mothers with the lowest levels of circulating hepcidin during gestation, likely a marker for iron deficiency, had higher sTfR:SF levels and lower hemoglobin levels, particularly at 12 months of age. Maternal non-iron-deficiency anemia (NIDA) did not impact infant anemia risk or iron status. Maternal treatment for schistosomiasis had no effect on infant hematologic status.
Conclusions
Maternal iron deficiency anemia was associated with an increased risk for anemia or iron deficiency during late infancy. We did not observe an association between maternal NIDA and increased risk for iron deficiency during infancy.
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Acknowledgements
We thank our study participants, dedicated field staffs in Leyte, The Philippines and our funders (NIH/NIAID and Thrasher Research Fund) for supporting this work. The randomized controlled trial was supported by NIH/NIAID, “S. japonicum and pregnancy outcomes: An RCT” (U01AI066050) with relevant data for this manuscript collected through newborn day of life 28. NIH/NIAID (R21AI107520) “S. japonicum, anemia, and iron transport in human pregnancy” supported extended biomarkers to define etiology of anemia among pregnant women and their offspring.
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All the authors participated in the planning and design of the study. M.J.S., A.J.A., P.I.B., V.T., L.P.A. and R.M.O. participated in data collection. E.A.M., H.W.W., S.P.-T., and J.D.K. did the laboratory assays. A.I.A. and S.P. analyzed data. A.I.A., E.A.M. and J.F.F. participated in the primary manuscript writing. J.F.F. had primary responsibility for the final content. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Abioye, A.I., McDonald, E.A., Park, S. et al. Maternal anemia type during pregnancy is associated with anemia risk among offspring during infancy. Pediatr Res 86, 396–402 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-019-0433-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-019-0433-5
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