{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,16]],"date-time":"2026-06-16T08:43:15Z","timestamp":1781599395092,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":56,"publisher":"BMJ","issue":"7373","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2002,11,16]],"date-time":"2002-11-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1037404800000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/www.bmj.com\/company\/legal-information\/terms-conditions\/legal-information\/tdm-licencepolicy"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["BMJ"],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2002,6,28]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2002,11,16]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>\n                    <jats:bold>Objective<\/jats:bold>\n                    :To evaluate the effect of iron supplementation on the incidence of infections in children.\n                  <\/jats:p>\n                  <jats:p>\n                    <jats:bold>Design<\/jats:bold>\n                    : Systematic review of randomised controlled trials.\n                  <\/jats:p>\n                  <jats:p>\n                    <jats:bold>Data sources<\/jats:bold>\n                    :28 randomised controlled trials (six unpublished and 22 published) on 7892 children.\n                  <\/jats:p>\n                  <jats:p>\n                    <jats:bold>Interventions<\/jats:bold>\n                    : Oral or parenteral iron supplementation or fortified formula milk or cereals.\n                  <\/jats:p>\n                  <jats:p>\n                    <jats:bold>Outcomes<\/jats:bold>\n                    :Incidence of all recorded infectious illnesses, and individual illnesses, including respiratory tract infection, diarrhoea, malaria, other infections, and prevalence of positive smear results for malaria.\n                  <\/jats:p>\n                  <jats:p>\n                    <jats:bold>Results<\/jats:bold>\n                    : The pooled estimate (random effects model) of the incidence rate ratio (iron\n                    <jats:italic>v<\/jats:italic>\n                    placebo) was 1.02 (95% confidence interval 0.96 to 1.08, P=0.54; P&lt;0.0001 for heterogeneity). The incidence rate difference (iron minus placebo) for all recorded illnesses was 0.06 episodes\/child year (\u22120.06 to 0.18, P=0.34; P&lt;0.0001 for heterogeneity). However, there was an increase in the risk of developing diarrhoea (incidence rate ratio 1.11, 1.01 to 1.23, P=0.04), but this would not have an overall important on public health (incidence rate difference 0.05 episodes\/child year, \u22120.03 to 0.13; P=0.21). The occurrence of other illnesses and positive results on malaria smears (adjusted for positive smears at baseline) were not significantly affected by iron administration. On meta-regression, the statistical heterogeneity could not be explained by the variables studied.\n                  <\/jats:p>\n                  <jats:p>\n                    <jats:bold>Conclusion<\/jats:bold>\n                    :Iron supplementation has no apparent harmful effect on the overall incidence of infectious illnesses in children, though it slightly increases the risk of developing diarrhoea.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1136\/bmj.325.7373.1142","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2002,11,14]],"date-time":"2002-11-14T19:02:53Z","timestamp":1037300573000},"page":"1142","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":217,"title":["Effect of iron supplementation on incidence of infectious illness in children: systematic review"],"prefix":"10.1136","volume":"325","author":[{"given":"Tarun","family":"Gera","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"H P S","family":"Sachdev","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"239","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2002,11,16]]},"reference":[{"key":"2025122208301926000_325.7373.1142.1","unstructured":"United Nations Administrative Committee on Coordination Sub-Committee on Nutrition (ACC\/SCN) . 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