In industrial countries iron deficiency is the only serious nutritive deficiency. As iron deficiency does not only cause anemia but long term psychomotor and cognitive developmental delay our goal should be prevention of this condition. At our Children's Hospital immigrant children present 30% of our in- and out-patients. Within 3 years (January 1998 - January 2001) we saw 215 children with iron deficiency anemia, 155 of whom were immigrant children. In 15 children (10 immigrants) the hemoglobin concentration was <8/dl. Iron deficiency in children up to 36 months of age was almost exclusively nutritional. In our country iron deficiency is not due to poverty but to ignorance. Immigrant families seem to be poorly informed about good nutritional habits for infants and toddlers. Pediatricians and practitioners have the obligation to instruct parents of infants, if necessary with an interpreter, about adequate nutrition for their children and/or diagnose and treat iron deficiency promptly.

MCV RDW Immigrant children Developmental delay Iron deficiency anemia

Germany immigrant iron deficiency anemia human child nutrition iron therapy controlled study feeding behavior mean corpuscular volume hemoglobin determination transferrin developmental disorder Adolescent parent iron deficiency Infant Review major clinical study health education ferritin age beta thalassemia childhood disease hemoglobin alpha thalassemia iron Child