Platelet Parameters in Children with Iron Deficiency Anemia before and After Treatment

In iron deficiency anemia (IDA), several changes in platelets indices have been reported in several studies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the platelet parameters in children with iron deficiency anemia before and after treatment.

This cross-sectional study was conducted over a period of 18 months. A total of 110 IDA subjects were selected from those who referred to the pediatric hematology clinic, Zahedan, Iran, during the study period. Age range was 12 months to 16 years were selected. Children in the study were given 3 months course of oral iron as ferrous sulfate with a daily dose of 4mg/kg/day in 2 divided doses. Platelet parameters including platelet count and mean platelet volume (MPV) were measured before and after treatment. The obtained data were analyzed using SPSS version 20.0.

The mean age of boys and girls were 4.30±4.55 years and 2.46±3.21 years, respectively. The results of the paired t- test showed that platelet means were 409±120 103 /mm3 and 384±99 103 /mm3 before and after treatment (p<0.001), respectively. The means of MPV increased from 8.07±1.01 fL before treatment to 8.86±1.05 fL after treatment (p<0.001), respectively.

The result of this study showed that treatment of iron deficiency anemia leads to decreased platelet count and increased MPV.