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Standard treatment for iron-deficiency anemia (IDA) in young children is ferrous sulfate drops administered 2 or 3 times daily. To determine the efficacy of once-daily dosing, these Canadian investigators conducted a randomized clinical trial in rural Ghana, where 500 anemic children (age range, 6 to 24 months; hemoglobin values, 70-99 g/L) were each given 40 mg of elemental iron daily (as ferrous sulfate drops); dosing regimens were either once daily or 3 times daily for 2 months. At enrollment, 67 percent of infants tested positive for malaria parasites.
At the end of treatment, the percentage of children whose anemia had resolved (hemoglobin values, >100 g/L) was similar in both dosing groups (once-daily, 61 percent, thrice-daily, 56 perc…