Child Is Pale And Has Low Ferritin Levels. What Treatment Should Be Done?

Posted on Fri, 22 Feb 2013

Question: My daughter today has been told my 2 year old grandson is not making iron after two blood tests for ferritin levels, when my daughter sais he is "anemic" then the doctor no it is more serious that that, he only has a very small amount, the reason she took him to the doctor's originally was because he kept He all other ways he is heathly running about etc.going yellow not a lot but it became noticable can you explain please and is it serious????????????

Answered by Dr. Rajiv K Khandelwal (2 hours later)

Hi,

Thank you for your query.

If your grandson is pale and has low ferritin levels then the possible causes can be:
1. Absorption of iron may be inadequate.
2. The iron is not being metabolised to ferritin.
3. Adequate blood and/or red cells are not being made.
I shall appreciate if you can provide the following reports so that I can guide you further:
1. Haemogram.
2. Peripheral smear.
3. Serum levels of iron, ferritin, proteins.
4. Liver function test.
5. Kidney function test.

You mention that he has been healthy but pale and gets several bouts of sore throat. The low haemoglobin is being reflected as paleness and the low resistance to infections.

It needs to be taken seriously and the above details will let us know the seriousness of the problem.

I hope I have responded to your query to your satisfaction. Please feel free to revert back for any clarifications or if you would like to share more facts of the case.

Wishing your grandson an early recovery.

Regards,

RKK

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Rajiv K Khandelwal (2 days later)

Hello thank you for the above, my daughter has been told to give XXXXXXX a medicine 2 x 5ml twice a day and to have a re_test blood (ferritin )to see whether the result has changed this advice was on behalf of a peaditrian by phone and the re-test is in 8 weeks is this right and does this iron problem also take into account the intermitent jaundice???? thanks you

Answered by Dr. Rajiv K Khandelwal (1 hour later)

Hi,

Thank you for the update.

You have not provided the details of the investigations that I had requested. Without the details of the investigations it is difficult to give a guidance on the medicine advised.

In the update you mentioned about jaundice which was not mentioned earlier. Liver function test (which I mentioned in my earlier post) becomes all the more essential along with an ultrasound of the abdomen. Without knowing the initial investigation findings it is very difficult to say when a retest be done.

I hope I have clarified your doubts.

Regards,

RKK

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar