If a child has a low hemoglobin level, most often in the clinic, his parents are immediately frightened with diagnoses and possible dire consequences. Most children, regardless of their age, are prescribed iron supplements. And moms and dads, who are far from medical terminology, have a lot of worries and questions. How to raise the hemoglobin level of a baby and whether it is possible to do without pharmacy medicines, the well-known pediatrician Evgeny Olegovich Komarovsky very often explains.
Definition and norm
Hemoglobin is an iron-containing protein that "knows" how to bind to oxygen and transport it to various parts of the human body. If the level of this protein is insufficient, the child will not receive the necessary amount of oxygen, which is so important for his life and development. This condition is called anemia.
Dr. Komarovsky's opinion on children's hemoglobin and ways to solve problems with low hemoglobin can be seen in the following video.
Normally, hemoglobin values depend on gender and age. In children, these values are more than unstable, and they change. However, there are certain control figures that the doctor will rely on when receiving the results of the baby's general blood test:
- At birth in an infant, the hemoglobin value can range from 160 g / l to 240 g / l.
- Starting from 3 months and almost up to a year, the level of iron-containing protein decreases gradually and reaches values of 100 - 135 g / l.
- From 1 year to adulthood, the hemoglobin level will gradually rise, reaching values typical of a man or a woman (in representatives of different sexes, these hematological showed different ones).
Reasons for the decline
Evgeny Komarovsky, speaking about the problem of anemia in children, emphasizes that up to about 5-6 months, a child has a sufficient supply of such an important protein in the body. The baby makes it even during the period of intrauterine development, however, during the first months of life, iron is consumed and practically not replenished. That is why, according to Komarovsky, all children, without exception, have a decrease in hemoglobin levels by 5-6 months.
However, in addition to relatively harmless physiologically determined reasons, hemoglobin in a child can be reduced due to other, more dangerous factors:
- Nutritional deficiency;
- Blood loss of various etiologies;
- Diseases of the bone marrow;
- Renal failure;
- Neoplasms;
- Vitamin B 12 deficiency;
- Rickets;
- Congenital anemia. If during pregnancy almost all 9 months the expectant mother suffered from low hemoglobin levels
Hemoglobin may be excessively high in children with congenital heart defects.
Anyway Evgeny Komarovsky urges parents to examine the child as thoroughly as possible, do an extended blood test, if necessary, visit a pediatric hematologist. The diagnosis of anemia should be taken very seriously.
Doctor Komarovsky's advice
When asked whether it is possible to do without pharmaceutical preparations in the difficult task of increasing the level of low hemoglobin in a child, Komarovsky replies that this is possible. But only in the mildest forms of anemia. If the pediatrician puts it in an easy stage, parents can try to improve the child's blood test by saturating his diet with foods that contain a lot of iron. Naturally, if the age of the baby allows them to be eaten.
First of all, these are meat, liver, fish, white poultry meat, cereals, especially buckwheat and beans. It is recommended to add more tomatoes and beets from vegetables, from fruits and berries - pomegranate grains, strawberries and cranberries and others. Caviar - red and black - raises hemoglobin very well.
With care, Evgeny Olegovich advises giving the child seafood, dried mushrooms and nuts. Although they increase hemoglobin, they are strong allergens.
Parents often wonder if iron levels can be increased by giving their baby goat's milk. The doctor replies that there is no direct connection between this product and the composition of the blood, and separately notes that goat milk will not be particularly useful for a small child if he is not yet three years old.
If a 3-month-old child has a decrease in hemoglobin levels, and he still does not eat such products due to age, then even at a mild stage of anemia, the baby will need drug treatment. It implies feeding with adapted milk formulas, which contain iron and vitamin B 12, as well as ascorbic acid, which helps the gland to be better absorbed by folic acid.
Komarovsky strongly discourages choosing iron supplements on your own, or based on reviews on the Internet. Only a doctor, on the basis of a blood test, will be able to choose the right medication and prescribe the required dosage. At the same time, he will take into account not only the hemoglobin indicators, but also the quality-quantity of erythrocytes, platelets, etc. Evgeny Olegovich advises taking the prescribed remedy without fail, strictly observing the frequency and conditions of admission.
The course of treatment, according to Komarovsky, should not be less than 2 months. Longer therapy is sometimes required.
In order to prevent the development of anemia or to raise hemoglobin in the child in case everything has already happened, Evgeny Komarovsky recommends taking the child outside more often, providing him with active games in the fresh air, long walks... The baby's sleep should be longer, it is not bad if the parents can provide the child with gymnastics and massage.
Until the age of one year, a well-known pediatrician advises on time and correctly to introduce complementary foods, not to neglect the expansion of the menu, allowed by age.
Very often in clinics, according to established practice, children with anemia are given a rejection from the next compulsory vaccination. Evgeny Komarovsky emphasizes that mild anemia should not be the reason for postponing vaccination... Only if the hemoglobin deficiency is serious, and the child is diagnosed with a severe form, then the timing of the vaccine administration can be shifted by 2-3 months until the blood counts return to normal or close to normal.
