IRON STATE IN FEMALE ADOLESCENTS

Objective.-To document a subjective response to iron therapy in female adolescents. Design.-Double-blind, placebo-controlled prospective study. Setting.-High school classes in an urban community in Israel. Participants.-Twenty-nine girls, aged 16 and 17 years, who ingested syrup containing iron (daily for 2 months) and 30 girls who received a placebo. Main Results.-By the end of the study, a statistically significant improvement in three subjective parameters, ie, lassitude, the ability to concentrate in school, and mood was reported by the girls who ingested iron compared with the controls. Sixty-five percent, 100%, and 65% of the girls, respectively, who reported improvement in the above-mentioned parameters were hypoferremic initially and became normoferremic by the end of the study. Conclusion.-Iron supplementation may be of benefit to female adolescents, as evidenced by their responses to subjective parameters.