Comparison of Iron-Supplementation versus Combination of Vitamin-A and Iron-Supplementation in Childhood Iron Deficiency Anaemia

Abstract

Abstract
Background and Objectives: childhood anemia is highly prevalent worldwide and its effective treatment is
the cornerstone to improve health of these children. This study was conducted to compare the mean rise in
haemoglobin (Hb) after iron-alone versus the combination of vitamin-A& iron supplementation in childhood
iron-deficiency anemia.
Methods: This randomized controlled trial was done at Paediatrics Medicine Department, Jinnah Hospital,
Lahore from January-2019 to June-2019. A total of 60 cases, as per inclusion criteria were enrolled from the
Paediatric Medicine Department of Jinnah Hospital Lahore. Group-Awas supplemented with a combination
of vitamin-A and iron while Group-B patients were supplemented with Iron alone. Hb was checked at
baseline and after 3 months of treatment as per the designated group. All information, as per predesigned
proforma, was entered and interpreted using SPSS version 23.0. An Independent sample t-test was applied
and a p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: Sixty patients were included, keeping 30 in each group i.e. Group-A(Vitamin-A+ Iron) & Group-B
(Iron-alone). In both groups, most of the patients were male, i.e. 22(73.3%) and 23(76.7%) in group-A and
group-B respectively. In group-A, the mean age was 1.96±1.6 years while 2.12±1.5 years in group-B. In
group-A, the mean rise in Hb level after 3-months of treatment was 3.0±0.99 g/dl, on the other hand, it was
1.96±1.00 g/dl in group B, with a p-value of 0.00014.
Conclusion: Vitamin-A supplementation combined with iron replacement therapy is recommended for
substantial improvement among children with iron deficiency anemia.
Keywords: Vitamin-A, Iron-Supplementation, Hemoglobin (Hb), Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA)