Epidemiology of Iron Deficiency in Children and Its Consequences

Dear Colleagues,

Iron deficiency is one of the most common nutritional deficiencies in children, particularly those from low-income countries. It is also the most frequent cause of anemia in this age group.

In addition to transporting oxygen in the hemoglobin molecule, iron plays a key role as a cofactor for many enzymes and as a compound in many biologically active molecules. Therefore, its deficiency not only impairs hematopoiesis but may also impact the human body in general, particularly the brain. Chronic iron depletion at an early age may be associated with permanent cognitive impairment, which may be irreversible, even after the repletion of iron stores.

Despite the vast knowledge on this topic, there are still many aspects of iron deficiency in children that need to be better understood. The methods used routinely in diagnosis to determine iron status are imperfect and dependent on many different factors, e.g., inflammation. There is also a need to define risk groups for iron deficiency in children older than infants which would benefit from monitoring peripheral blood morphology/ iron status and this element substitution.

Therefore, we would like to dedicate this Special Issue to the topic of iron deficiency in children in various aspects. Papers on the consequences of iron depletion in children and its relationship with various diseases are invited. Research and review articles, large case series, and meta-analyses related to the incidence, diagnostics, and treatment of iron deficiency in pediatrics are also welcome.

Prof. Dr. Radosław Chaber
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• iron
• children
• anemia
• ferritin
• psychomotor development