Iron Deficiency and Malaria Interactions in Pediatric Populations
Summary
Iron deficiency remains the most prevalent micronutrient deficit worldwide and disproportionately affects young children in low- and middle-income regions. In paediatric populations, insufficient iron impairs haemoglobin synthesis, growth and neurocognitive development, yet paradoxically confers a degree of protection against Plasmodium infection. Conversely, therapeutic iron interventions can reverse this protective effect and heighten vulnerability to clinical malaria and other infections. Central to this interplay is the hormone hepcidin, which regulates systemic iron distribution during inflammation and infection, modulating iron availability to both host and parasite. The bidirectional relationship between iron status and malaria pathogenesis has profound implications for public health strategies, highlighting the need to balance the benefits of correcting deficiency against the risks of exacerbating malaria morbidity. Optimal approaches now under investigation include targeted or intermittent supplementation, co-administration with antimalarial prophylaxis, food fortification matrices and integration of iron status screening with malaria control programmes.
Research from Nature Portfolio
No recent Nature Portfolio content available.
Iron Deficiency and Malaria Interactions in Pediatric Populations publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in iron deficiency and malaria interactions in pediatric populations across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Iron deficiency anaemia: A condition in which insufficient iron impairs haemoglobin production, leading to reduced oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood.
Hepcidin: A liver-derived peptide hormone that controls systemic iron distribution by inhibiting intestinal absorption and iron release from macrophages during inflammation.
Parasitaemia: The presence and concentration of malaria parasites in the bloodstream, used as a measure of infection intensity.
Erythropoiesis: The process of red blood cell production in the bone marrow, driven by iron availability and erythropoietin signalling.
References
- The Importance of Iron Status for Young Children in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Narrative Review. Pharmaceuticals (2019).
- Iron, anemia and hepcidin in malaria. Frontiers in Pharmacology (2014).
- Iron Status Predicts Malaria Risk in Malawian Preschool Children. PLOS ONE (2012).
- Anemia Offers Stronger Protection Than Sickle Cell Trait Against the Erythrocytic Stage of Falciparum Malaria and This Protection Is Reversed by Iron Supplementation. EBioMedicine (2016).
About these summaries
This Nature Research Intelligence Topic summary is created with the cited references and a large language model. We take care to ground generated text with facts, and have systems in place to gain human feedback on the overall quality of the process in line with our AI principles. We strive to create accurate and useful summaries for people unfamiliar with the research topic and that supports this goal. These pages are a beta release and will be updated as we learn how best to help people gain value from a research topic summary.
Turn complex research questions into confident strategic decisions
When you're under pressure to set direction, justify investment, or understand your competitive position, you need more than raw data — you need trusted insights you can act on.
Benchmark your performance against global peers using robust, methodologically sound analysis.
Combine quantitative metrics with qualitative expert insight to uncover strengths, gaps and emerging opportunities.
Gain tailored, decision-ready recommendations aligned to your strategic priorities.
Talk to us to learn more about our data dashboards and bespoke strategy reports.
Grow research skills, confidence and careers with training built for every stage of the research lifecycle.
Developed with Nature Portfolio journal Editors and internationally renowned experts. Discover three ways to learn:
Self-paced, online courses in convenient bite-sized units, covering key skills across scientific writing, publishing, grant writing, data analysis, and more.
Expert trainer-led workshops with hands-on exercises and real-time feedback across core research skills, delivered via interactive group sessions.
Editor-led workshops combining core principles in writing and publishing, personalised 1:1 feedback from Nature Portfolio Editors and hands-on exercises.
Explore course catalogues and workshop agendas, enquire about the options or request institutional pricing.