Treatment Response to Iron and Folic Acid Alone Is the Same as with Multivitamins and/or Anthelminthics in Severely Anemic 6- to 24-Month-Old Children
Bhutta Z et al. - Adherence to treatment was 70% for iron+folic acid, 80% for multivitamins, and almost 100% for mebendazole. Children receiving iron+folic acid alone had a response rate of 38.7% at 90 d. The additional treatment with mebendazole or multivitamins did not significantly improve cure rates or change the Hb concentration over and above iron+folic acid treatment alone. Adherence to iron+folic acid of higher than the median resulted in a better treatment response rate of 50%. High-dose daily iron+folic acid performed as well as iron+folic acid with anthelminthics and multivitamins in the treatment of severe anemia in this setting. Higher adherence may be important in enhancing treatment impact. [more...]
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