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Review
. 2017 Oct 27:10:1178626417737738.
doi: 10.1177/1178626417737738. eCollection 2017.

Prophylactic Iron Supplementation in Pregnancy: A Controversial Issue

João Ricardo Friedrisch  1 , Bruno Kras Friedrisch  2
Affiliations
Review

Prophylactic Iron Supplementation in Pregnancy: A Controversial Issue

João Ricardo Friedrisch et al. Biochem Insights. .

Abstract

In our world today, iron deficiency (ID) is the most frequent nutritional deficiency and it is being considered as an epidemic public health crisis. Women of reproductive age and infants are at particular risk of ID, especially in underdeveloped countries. During pregnancy, iron deficiency anemia is a specific risk factor associated with negative maternal and perinatal outcomes. Many countries have iron supplementation (IS) programs-as recommended by the World Health Organization-during pregnancy; however, IS clinical benefits and risks are unclear. This review aims to discuss the threats and benefits of routine IS on maternal and infant outcomes.

Keywords: Iron supplementation; iron deficiency anemia; pregnancy.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of conflicting interests:The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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