Ritchey A K
Postgrad Med. 1987 Aug;82(2):59-63, 67-9. doi: 10.1080/00325481.1987.11699924.
Over the past 25 years the incidence of iron deficiency anemia has decreased remarkably. This decline has resulted directly from a program of prevention that is based on a detailed understanding of iron lack in infants and children. However, iron deficiency without anemia--subtle iron deficiency--remains a problem. The negative impact of iron deficiency on brain function has recently been demonstrated in animal as well as human studies. The behavioral effects noted in infants and toddlers can be seen with subtle iron deficiency as well as with anemia. Although behavioral abnormalities in the very young appear to be correctable by iron treatment, prolonged iron deficiency may lead to irreversible effects on brain function. These recent findings should further encourage continued vigilance in preventing the old problem of iron deficiency.
在过去25年里，缺铁性贫血的发病率显著下降。这种下降直接源于一项预防计划，该计划基于对婴幼儿缺铁情况的详细了解。然而，缺铁但无贫血——即轻度缺铁——仍是一个问题。缺铁对脑功能的负面影响最近在动物和人体研究中都得到了证实。婴幼儿中观察到的行为影响在轻度缺铁以及贫血情况下都可能出现。尽管幼儿的行为异常似乎可以通过铁剂治疗得到纠正，但长期缺铁可能会对脑功能造成不可逆转的影响。这些最新发现应进一步促使人们继续保持警惕，预防缺铁这一老问题。
