Abstract

Introduction: Anemia is one of the common complications in premature infants, often caused by slow erythropoiesis and treatment. We conducted a study to evaluate the clinical and paraclinical characteristics of premature infants with anemia and iron overload in premature infants with anemia after red blood cell transfusion.

Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 34 preterm infants with anemia in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Pediatrics Center, Hue Central Hospital, from January 2023 to July 2024.

Results: The mean gestational age of the study group was 29.03 weeks. The mean birth weight was 1250g. Poor arousal, pallor, and tachycardia accounted for 26.5%, 85.3%, and 20.6%, respectively. The mean hemoglobin (Hb) level of the study group was 9.22 g/dL. The median serum ferritin level of the study group was 304.36 ng/mL. Red blood cell transfusion increased the risk of elevated serum ferritin by 4.33 times (p < 0.05). The prevalence of iron overload in the red blood cell transfusion group was 68.4%.

Conclusion: Blood transfusion increases the risk of iron overload in anemic preterm infants. Serum ferritin should be re-evaluated before iron supplementation in preterm infants who have received blood transfusions.