Background: Iron deficiency, even without a diagnosis of anemia, can be neurodevelopmentally dangerous in pediatric populations. Oral iron supplementation has been the treatment of choice but is associated with poor adherence for several reasons including metallic taste of the tablets, gastric irritation, severe constipation, and daily dosing for several weeks. Intravenous iron has been safely used in adult populations for iron supplementation, but has less commonly been used in pediatric populations. It is hypothesized that pediatric patients with iron deficiency anemia (IDA) who receive intravenous iron infusions will show normalization of hematologic parameters. Methods: EMR of patients aged 1-21 who received at least one intravenous iron infusion at Cooper University Hospital between 2016 and January 2019 were reviewed for retrospective data collection. Pre-infusion lab values including Hgb, MCV, RBCs and RDW were compared to post-infusion values to determine if values normalized after intravenous iron infusion. Patient demographics including ethnicity, cause of IDA, prior oral iron treatments, and adverse effects of oral and IV iron were analyzed. Results: There were 33 subjects in this study. The average age of the subjects was 12.8 (+/- 5.1) years of age and 79% were female. The most prevalent indication for IV iron was menorrhagia (55%), while GI issues were 18% and insufficient diet accounted for 27%. The mean baseline HGB was 8.3 (+/- 1.7) while the mean final HGB increased to 11.5 (+/- 1.4) (p<0.001). The mean baseline MCV was 69.2 (+/- 9.3) and the mean last MCV was 76.1 (+/- 6.8) (p<0.001). The mean baseline RBC was 4.2 (+/- 0.82) and the mean last RBC was 4.9 (+/- 0.6) (p<0.001). Conclusion: IV iron sucrose infusions administered to pediatric outpatients were safe and effective in children and adolescents with IDA. Adherence to intravenous iron did not significantly improve. Hematologic parameters improved with infusions. Further analysis of patient demographics and characteristics of diagnosis needs to be performed to elucidate benefits of this therapy. As a single institution study, the results are limited to a regional patient population and their specific demographics. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Introduction: Sequelae of sickle cell disease (SCD) are often the result of vaso-occlusion (VOC) related to the dysmorphic shape of sickled red blood cells (RBC). Bone infarction occurs commonly in patients with sickle cell, most notably in long bones and axial skeleton. Infarct occurs much less frequently in the bones of the skull. Calvarial bone infarct results in MRI findings of T2 hyperintensity in areas of bone marrow edema with associated swelling or hemorrhage. Symptomatic headaches in children with SCD are more likely to be due to severe underlying cerebral pathologies than in those children without SCD. When evaluating a child with SCD presenting with headache, it is important to consider calvarial infarct. Case Description: A 15 year old male with a history of sickle cell disease (type SS) and G6PD deficiency presented with chief complaints of headache and swelling over the left parietal region of the skull for two days with associated left sided visual disturbance. He denied head trauma or seizure-like activity. Upon presentation he was febrile with tachycardia and a normal neurological exam. CT scan of his head was significant for a left subgaleal hemorrhage and bilateral epidural midline and left parietal fluid collections consistent with bone marrow infarcts and associated subacute epidural hematomas, without evidence of brain parenchymal injury or sinus venous thrombosis. A follow up MRI obtained during hospitalization indicated that the left subgaleal hematoma remained stable with breakdown of subgaleal blood products. The patient was treated primarily with supportive care including hydration, packed red blood cell transfusions and pain management. He did not require neurosurgical intervention. His hospital course was complicated by VOC, sickle cell hepatopathy and acute chest syndrome. Discussion: Rarely, cranial VOC has resulted in epidural hematoma. In this case, calvarial infarct with unilateral headache, acute vision loss and acute cranial swelling resulted in subgaleal hemorrhage. This clinically significant finding results from bleeding between the periosteum and scalp galea aponeurosis, which may lead to hypovolemic shock. Calvarial infarcts should be considered on the differential in sickle cell disease patients presenting with a headache as prompt diagnosis can improve morbidity outcomes. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
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