Iron Deficiency Anemia Case Study Essay

In general, between 25 and 85 percent of preterm neonates, babies born before 37 weeks gestation, develop iron deficiency within six months of their birth (Rao & Georgieff, 2009). Iron is a key component of hemoglobin, which is the protein responsible for creating healthy red blood cells (RBCs) and allowing RBCs to carry oxygen (Abbaspour, Hurrell, & Kelishadi, 2014). Consequently, if not treated, iron deficiency can often lead to a life-threatening condition called anemia, which occurs when there are not enough red blood cells to carry oxygen to cells in the body. Since neonates accumulate the majority of their iron in the third trimester, week 28 of gestation until birth, preterm infants often do not collect enough iron from their mother, which results in their admittance to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for iron deficiency anemia (Rao & Georgieff, 2009). While transfusions are an option for treating anemia in many people, NICU healthcare professionals have become more restrictive in their use of transfusions to treat anemia because of …show more content…
Furthermore, there are many derivatives of the hormone, including recombinant erythropoietin (rEpo) and darbepoetin (Darbe), that all promote the formation of RBCs, which would increase RBC counts and counteract anemia when used with iron supplements (Warwood et al., 2005). Additionally, erythropoietin can be administered through fortified breast milk or fortified formula as part of the infant’s total parenteral nutrition (TPN). These hormones are also administered through an intravenous route (IV) or subcutaneously in cases where a larger dose or more immediate access to the bloodstream is necessary (Rao & Georgieff, 2009). If the erythropoietin supplements are successful for an infant, the neonate’s RBC counts will increase, creating less risk of anemia-related events that could prolong an infant’s hospitalization in the