Pediatrician Suggest Iron Deficiency A Major Cause Of Neurological Dysfunction

HYDERABAD, Feb. 13 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Feb, 2017 ) : Pediatrician at Liaqat University of Medical & Health Sciences Jamshoro, Professor Abdul Rehman Sial said that childhood iron deficiency was a common nutritional problem worldwide that causes neurological dysfunction in affected children.

Talking to APP here on Monday, Professor Dr.Abdul Rehman Sial informed that around 30 per cent of the world’s population has iron deficiency. It is found to be more than 50 percent in African and Asian population as poor diet was one of the most common reasons for iron deficiency among children.

Regarding the factors causing iron deficiency, Dr.Abdul Rehman informed that included poor diet, mal-absorption, intestinal parasites, lack of meat and lack of Vitamin C. Iron deficiency could cause anemia, behavioral changes, spoon nails, increased susceptibility to infection and cognitive and psycho-motor deficits.

According to Dr. Abdul Rehman Sial high level of lead in blood can cause a number of illnesses, for instance abdominal pain and renal failure, but the most important health problem was the affect on neurological development in growing children.

Dr. Sial said that the lack of association between blood lead and iron deficiency in the western population reflected low environmental exposure to lead in the others countries. However, environments with significant lead pollution such as Pakistan may adversely affect children with iron deficiency, he added.

He said that Pakistan has an alarmingly high level of malnutrition 24 percent of the population was undernourished. Malnutrition in Pakistan was usually associated with poverty and the main causative factors include low consumption of food and foods with low nutritional value, he informed.

Dr. Abdul Rehman Sial further informed that the most recent estimates by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) state that 37.5 million people in Pakistan were not receiving proper nourishment.The issue is complex and widespread, with deficiencies ranging from protein to iodine, along with other health problems due to insufficient intake of these essential nutrients, Dr Sial said.

He termed it the major public health problem in Pakistan and said it was a threat to the social and economic development of the country. The main factor responsible for iodine deficiency was low dietary supply of iodine.

He said that as such we have to invest more for taking preventive measures to reduce the financial burden of the government being incurred on curative programmes and keep the nation healthy through their life style, he said. Dr. Abdul Rehman Siyal said that the medical community could play a vital role in advocacy for the usage of iodine salt at grass- root level.