Abstract
The effects of iron deficiency on immunity remain controversial. This study was designed to assess the impact of iron supplementation on the immune status, in 81 children aged 6 months–3 years, at high risk for iron deficiency, using a longitudinal double blind randomised and placebo-controlled study. Lymphocytes of iron-deficient children produced less interleukin-2 in vitro. Iron supplementation for 2 months increased mean corpuscular volume, serum ferritin and serum transferrin, but had no effect on the parameters of T-cell mediated immunity. The lower interleukin-2 levels in iron-deficient suggest that cell-mediated immunity may be impaired in iron deficiency.
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Abbreviations
- CRP:
-
Creactive protein
- PBMC:
-
peripheral blood mononuclear cells
- PHA:
-
phytohaemagglutinin A
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This work was supported by a grant from the Ministry of Research and Technology (Aliment 2002, 90G0268), and by a grant from the Guigoz Corporation
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Thibault, H., Galan, P., Selz, F. et al. The immune response in iron-deficient young children: Effect of iron supplementation on cell-mediated immunity. Eur J Pediatr 152, 120–124 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02072487
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02072487