Potential for Improved Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment for Iron Deficiency and Iron Deficiency Anemia in Young Children

Iron deficiency is the most common cause of anemia worldwide. In developed countries, children aged 12-36 months are at risk for iron deficiency (ID) and progression to frank iron deficiency anemia (IDA), primarily as a result of prolonged breast feeding without iron supplementation and/or excessive cow's milk intake. So-called "cow's milk anemia" became highly prevalent in the 1950s owing to a decline in breastfeeding, in concert with widespread promotion of the benefits of milk.1 From the 1960s through the 1990s, advances in laboratory testing fostered more precise measurement of hemoglobin (Hgb) concentration, red blood cell indices, and iron measurements, thereby facilitating the diagnosis of ID and IDA and the assessment of interventions aimed at treatment.

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