Iron poisoning is extremely dangerous for young children, beware!

Most of us know that iron deficiency causes many health problems. However, if because of fear that over-supplementing leads to excess, the child will be at a higher risk of iron poisoning, which can even lead to death.

The modern rhythm of life with work and study cycle makes many parents almost no time to complete meals for their children. This causes the child's health to deteriorate and lack some important nutrients for development, such as iron. To "correct", many parents do not hesitate to let children use iron supplements to make up.

However, few people suspect this seemingly harmless measure has a great impact on the health of children. To understand why, please continue with aFamilyToday Health to see the following sharing.

The role of iron in health

Iron is a nutrient that plays an important role in the body's circulation. It is an essential nutrient found in hemoglobin, an element that stores and transports oxygen in blood cells. Status  iron deficiency can cause many negative effects on health, but if excess nutrients can cause cancer treatment and iron.

Iron is a heavy metal, like lead, mercury, aluminum ... so it is difficult to excrete from the body. In young children, the ability to excrete iron through the liver and kidneys is incomplete, so it is easy to cause poisoning if used a lot. For the most part, how much iron should be taken in each case requires the guidance of a doctor.

Iron poisoning in young children is not uncommon because many parents now have a habit of giving their children iron supplements for fear that they will be deficient in this mineral. Iron deficiency can cause a lot of dangerous complications such as decreased resistance, increased risk of infection, brain damage, heart failure, more serious can lead to coma and shock.

The cause of iron poisoning in children

Most children with iron poisoning are caused by an overdose of iron supplements or iron-containing vitamin supplements. According to statistics, children aged 6 years and older will have a high risk of iron poisoning. Iron pills usually have a candy-like taste and color, so if the parents don't pay attention, the baby will put it in his mouth and enjoy.

Symptoms of iron poisoning in children

Symptoms of iron poisoning usually appear within six hours after iron is absorbed into the body:

Persistent vomiting

Loose stools or diarrhea

Severe abdominal pain

Dehydration

Vomiting or bloody bowel movements

Convulsions

Cyanosis

Heart weak and fast beating

Iron poisoning can lead to shock and death.

How much iron should children absorb each day?

Doctors recommend that adults take no more than 45mg of iron per day. Children under 13 years old should only take less than 40mg. Excessive intake of this mineral can cause liver failure , low blood pressure, and even death.

When should children with iron poisoning be taken to hospital?

Iron poisoning is a serious condition. If you suspect your baby is in this situation, take him to the hospital even if he doesn't have any of the above symptoms. When you go, don't forget to bring the medicine bottle your baby took. The doctor will do a general check on the child, if the child doesn't have any symptoms, you can rest assured.

How to treat iron poisoning?

Only a doctor can make sure a child has iron poisoning. If tests show that there is too much iron in the child's body, the doctor may recommend the following treatments:

Use a laxative to clean your child's stomach.

Proceed to wash the stomach. This method is only effective when taken within an hour of taking it.

Use drugs that contain deferoxamine, a drug that helps in the treatment of severe cases of iron poisoning. Deferoxamine helps to push excess iron out of the body through urine. The drug can cause a number of side effects such as orange-red urine and low blood pressure.

If your child takes drugs other than iron supplements, the doctor will give them activated carbon to absorb excess iron and push it out of the body. It should be noted that this method is only effective for two hours after taking the medicine.

What can you do when you suspect that your child has iron poisoning?

If you suspect your child has iron poisoning, stay calm and do the following:

Take your child to hospital immediately.

Do not force your child to vomit. Doing so will make diagnosis and treatment difficult.

Take the medicine bottle to the emergency room.

Prevent iron poisoning in children

Iron poisoning is easily preventable. When your child is only mildly deficient in iron, you should supplement with nutrition. Give your child iron-rich foods such as oysters, beef, fish, chicken, whole grains, legumes; Green leafy vegetables such as spinach, broccoli ... You should feed your children these foods with foods rich in vitamin C to help absorb iron better.

In cases of moderate and severe anemia, it is necessary to supplement iron in the form of drugs. However, before supplementing, it needs to be evaluated through tests and prolonged iron should only be used for the period prescribed by the doctor. When giving a drink, you should not give it to your baby to drink with milk or before bedtime as this will reduce absorption.

In addition, to prevent iron toxicity, you need to take some of the following measures:

Keep all medicines out of the reach of children. Ideally, you should keep them in a small medical cabinet and locked.

Explain to your child the dangers of eating something of unknown origin even if it looks tempting. Teach your child every time he wants to eat anything so that he or she has to consult with an adult in the family.

Buy medicines that have clear instructions and regulations on dosage.

Giving iron supplements to children should be done according to the instructions of the doctor. As a parent, pay more attention to iron supplements for your children through diet instead of using supplements instead.