Children who eat dirt: iron deficiency

A mother came to see me in tears, worried and puzzled that her child was eating dirt. I asked her to sit down and calmed her. Her child was irritable and pale, underweight and had a poor appetite. After examining him I asked for some lab tests, and the result was as I expected: a lack of iron, which had caused a type of anaemia called iron-deficiency anaemia. This anaemia made the child pale, irritable and poor at eating. Some children reach the point of eating dirt, and others get brittle nails. So what is iron, why does the body need it, where do we get it, and why does a lack of it cause anaemia?

Iron is an important mineral that is part of haemoglobin, the pigment in red blood cells, and of many enzymes the body needs. We get it from food. Foods rich in iron include meat, liver, eggs, fruit, vegetables, nuts, figs, raisins and dates.

Iron deficiency can affect babies, children, teenagers and adults. Treatment should be under medical supervision, and the doctor will decide the right dose for the child. Here are some points for caring mothers:

Iron medicine turns the stool black. Parents should know that the medicine is the cause and there's no need to worry.
Iron can also stain the teeth black. Taking it before a meal and rinsing the mouth afterwards reduces the staining, which fades some time after treatment ends.
The breath may smell of rust; green herbs such as mint help.
Treatment is supervised by a doctor and usually lasts at least two months.

I would also stress a few points:

The "milk baby": a chubby, pale child who lives on milk alone (an excessive appetite for milk) and refuses other foods. This causes weight gain, not loss. See a doctor before it leads to poor nutrition and anaemia.
Don't give a lot of tea with meals, especially to children, because tea blocks the absorption of iron.
Children with low iron grow more slowly than their peers.
Iron deficiency affects children's mental development.
Vitamin C (citrus fruit) improves iron absorption.

There is a close link between anaemia in children and the way they are fed, so parents should choose healthy foods that suit their child's age.

By Dr Yassin Mohammad Bilal