Anemia is a general term describing a decrease in the number or function of red blood cells leading to reduced oxygen circulation. Iron-deficiency anemia is the most common blood disorder found in toddlers, which can be caused by a vegetarian diet lacking key nutrients, medications and chronic disease such as cancer and kidney failure. Several other types of anemia may affect young children, including microcytic, normocytic and macrocytic anemias, which are classified according to the size of red blood cells.
Iron Deficiency Anemia
Dr. Ellis Neufeld of the Children’s Hospital Boston states that children with vegetarian diets and those with excessive milk intakes are the most at risk for developing iron-deficiency anemia, the most prevalent anemia in younger patients. He explains that anemias are typically classified by red-blood-cell size: microcytic, normocytic and macrocytic. Microcytic anemias are caused by iron deficiency, lead poisoning, and thalassemia, a genetic disorder where the body produces an abnormal form of hemoglobin. Normocytic anemia is a sign of disease, such as infections characterized by inflammation or hemolysis, in which the red blood cells literally split open. Macrocytic anemia is caused by inadequate amounts of folic acid, or vitamin B12, medications, ethyl alcohol, hypothyroidism and liver or bone-marrow diseases.
Frequency of Anemia
Up to 20 percent of children in the U.S. will be anemic at some point by the age of 18, and as many as 80 percent of children living in developing countries will develop the disease before adulthood, according to an article the October 2001 issue of “American Family Physician.” The authors explained that iron-deficiency anemia is easily treatable with iron supplements and dietary modification to prevent loss of cognitive function. Normocytic anemia, however, is much more difficult to diagnose due to many possible causative factors. The authors state that reticulocyte counts, an estimate of the number of immature red blood cells produced by the bone marrow, help to narrow the exact causes of normocytic anemia. Macrocytic anemia caused by hypothyroidism and liver disease is relatively rare in children.
Geophagia
Geophagia is a term to describe the ingestion of substances other than food, such as the common occurrence of children eating dirt or grass from their yards. A study in the January 2011 issue of the “Journal of Medicine and Life” reported a case of a 17-month-old female presenting with iron-deficiency anemia, leukocytosis, which is a raised white-blood-cell count, and eosinophilia, a high number of eosinophils that are white blood cells that respond to parasitic infections. After further testing, the physicians made a diagnosis of visceral larva migrans, which is an infection caused by parasites living in fecal matter the child consumed while playing outdoors. In short, the family had a puppy that had not been dewormed and their daughter ate the animal’s droppings leading to the development of her anemia.
Nutritional Imbalance
Diets for toddlers in the U.K. often do not comply with national recommendations and lead to increased risks of diseases including iron deficiency anemia, according to an article appearing in the May 2007 issue of the “Journal of Family Health Care.” The authors stated that developing good dietary habits in early childhood is important not only for short-term health, but also to ensure proper nutrition and health throughout adulthood. The prevalence of childhood disease caused by dietary insufficiencies, such as rickets, which affects bone development, and iron-deficiency anemia have increased in Great Britain, especially in immigrant populations. To educate health care professionals and the general public, the authors explain the relationships between toddler diet and nutritional imbalance, while focusing on the impact on short- and long-term health.
References
- “Pediatric Views”; Anemia; E. Neufeld; February 2008
- “American Family Physician”; Anemia in Children; J. Irwin, et al.; October 2001
- “Journal of Medicine and Life”; Marked Hypereosinophilia in a Toddler: A Case Report; R. Stoicescu, et al.; January 2011
- “Journal of Family Health Care”; Toddler Diets in the U.K.: Deficiencies and Imbalances. 1. Risk of Micronutrient Deficiencies; B. Turnbull, et al.; May 2007
