Skip to main content

Advertising Disclaimer »

Main menu

  • Journals
    • Pediatrics
    • Hospital Pediatrics
    • Pediatrics in Review
    • NeoReviews
    • AAP Grand Rounds
    • AAP News
  • Authors/Reviewers
    • Submit Manuscript
    • Author Guidelines
    • Reviewer Guidelines
    • Open Access
    • Editorial Policies
  • Content
    • Current Issue
    • Online First
    • Archive
    • Blogs
    • Topic/Program Collections
    • AAP Meeting Abstracts
  • Pediatric Collections
    • COVID-19
    • Racism and Its Effects on Pediatric Health
    • More Collections...
  • AAP Policy
  • Supplements
  • Multimedia
    • Video Abstracts
    • Pediatrics On Call Podcast
  • Subscribe
  • Alerts
  • Careers
  • Other Publications
    • American Academy of Pediatrics

User menu

  • Log in

Search

  • Advanced search
American Academy of Pediatrics

AAP Gateway

Advanced Search

AAP Logo

  • Log in
  • Journals
    • Pediatrics
    • Hospital Pediatrics
    • Pediatrics in Review
    • NeoReviews
    • AAP Grand Rounds
    • AAP News
  • Authors/Reviewers
    • Submit Manuscript
    • Author Guidelines
    • Reviewer Guidelines
    • Open Access
    • Editorial Policies
  • Content
    • Current Issue
    • Online First
    • Archive
    • Blogs
    • Topic/Program Collections
    • AAP Meeting Abstracts
  • Pediatric Collections
    • COVID-19
    • Racism and Its Effects on Pediatric Health
    • More Collections...
  • AAP Policy
  • Supplements
  • Multimedia
    • Video Abstracts
    • Pediatrics On Call Podcast
  • Subscribe
  • Alerts
  • Careers

Discover Pediatric Collections on COVID-19 and Racism and Its Effects on Pediatric Health

American Academy of Pediatrics
Article

A Randomized, Controlled Trial of the Effects of Adding Vitamin B12 and Folate to Erythropoietin for the Treatment of Anemia of Prematurity

Nadja Haiden, Katrin Klebermass, Francesco Cardona, Jens Schwindt, Angelika Berger, Christina Kohlhauser-Vollmuth, Bernd Jilma and Arnold Pollak
Pediatrics July 2006, 118 (1) 180-188; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2005-2475
Nadja Haiden
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Katrin Klebermass
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Francesco Cardona
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Jens Schwindt
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Angelika Berger
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Christina Kohlhauser-Vollmuth
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Bernd Jilma
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Arnold Pollak
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • Article
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • Comments
Loading

This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.

Download PDF

Abstract

BACKGROUND. Premature infants, especially those with birth weights of <1500 g, often suffer from anemia of prematurity and associated problems. Erythropoietin therapy is a safe effective way to prevent and to treat anemia of prematurity. We hypothesized that combined administration of vitamin B12 and folate with erythropoietin and iron would enhance erythropoietin-induced erythropoiesis.

METHODS. In a randomized, controlled trial, 64 premature infants (birth weight: 801–1300 g) receiving erythropoietin and iron supplementation were assigned randomly to receive either vitamin B12 (3 μg/kg per day) and folate (100 μg/kg per day) (treatment group) or a lower dose of folate (60 μg/kg per day) (control group).

RESULTS. During the 4-week observation period, vitamin B12 and folate enhanced erythropoietin-induced erythropoiesis significantly, as indicated by a 10% increase in red blood cell counts, compared with folate alone. Hemoglobin and hematocrit levels remained stable in the treatment group, whereas they decreased in the control group. Vitamin B12 levels in the treatment group increased over baseline and control values, whereas red blood cell folate levels were comparable between the groups. Subsequent analysis showed slight nonsignificant differences in baseline red blood cell count, hemoglobin level, hematocrit level, and mean corpuscular volume values, which must be addressed as a limitation.

CONCLUSIONS. With the limitation of a slight imbalance in baseline data between the study groups, combined therapy with vitamin B12, folate, erythropoietin, and orally and intravenously administered iron seemed more effective in stimulating erythropoiesis among premature infants, compared with erythropoietin, iron, and low-dose folate alone. Additional trials are necessary to confirm these data.

  • anemia of prematurity
  • erythropoietin
  • folic acid
  • vitamin B12
  • Accepted January 19, 2006.
  • Copyright © 2006 by the American Academy of Pediatrics

Individual Login

Log in
You will be redirected to aap.org to login or to create your account.

Institutional Login

via Institution

You may be able to gain access using your login credentials for your institution. Contact your librarian or administrator if you do not have a username and password.

Log in through your institution

If your organization uses OpenAthens, you can log in using your OpenAthens username and password. To check if your institution is supported, please see this list. Contact your library for more details.

Pay Per Article - You may access this article (from the computer you are currently using) for 2 days for US$25.00

Regain Access - You can regain access to a recent Pay per Article purchase if your access period has not yet expired.

Offer Reprints

PreviousNext
Back to top

Advertising Disclaimer »

In this issue

Pediatrics
Vol. 118, Issue 1
July 2006
  • Table of Contents
  • Index by author
View this article with LENS
PreviousNext
Email Article

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on American Academy of Pediatrics.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
A Randomized, Controlled Trial of the Effects of Adding Vitamin B12 and Folate to Erythropoietin for the Treatment of Anemia of Prematurity
(Your Name) has sent you a message from American Academy of Pediatrics
(Your Name) thought you would like to see the American Academy of Pediatrics web site.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Request Permissions
Article Alerts
Log in
You will be redirected to aap.org to login or to create your account.
Or Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Citation Tools
A Randomized, Controlled Trial of the Effects of Adding Vitamin B12 and Folate to Erythropoietin for the Treatment of Anemia of Prematurity
Nadja Haiden, Katrin Klebermass, Francesco Cardona, Jens Schwindt, Angelika Berger, Christina Kohlhauser-Vollmuth, Bernd Jilma, Arnold Pollak
Pediatrics Jul 2006, 118 (1) 180-188; DOI: 10.1542/peds.2005-2475

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Share
A Randomized, Controlled Trial of the Effects of Adding Vitamin B12 and Folate to Erythropoietin for the Treatment of Anemia of Prematurity
Nadja Haiden, Katrin Klebermass, Francesco Cardona, Jens Schwindt, Angelika Berger, Christina Kohlhauser-Vollmuth, Bernd Jilma, Arnold Pollak
Pediatrics Jul 2006, 118 (1) 180-188; DOI: 10.1542/peds.2005-2475
del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo CiteULike logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
Print
Download PDF
Insight Alerts
  • Table of Contents

Jump to section

  • Article
    • Abstract
    • METHODS
    • RESULTS
    • DISCUSSION
    • CONCLUSION
    • Footnotes
    • REFERENCES
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • Comments

Related Articles

  • No related articles found.
  • PubMed
  • Google Scholar

Cited By...

  • Intravenous iron administration together with parenteral nutrition to very preterm Jehovah's Witness twins
  • Erythropoietin as a Neonatal Neuroprotective Agent
  • When to transfuse preterm babies
  • Treatment and Prevention of Neonatal Anemia
  • Effects of a Combined Therapy of Erythropoietin, Iron, Folate, and Vitamin B12 on the Transfusion Requirements of Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants
  • Google Scholar

More in this TOC Section

  • Nurse Home Visiting and Maternal Mental Health: 3-Year Follow-Up of a Randomized Trial
  • Neighborhood Child Opportunity Index and Adolescent Cardiometabolic Risk
  • Neonates Born to Mothers With COVID-19: Data From the Spanish Society of Neonatology Registry
Show more Articles

Similar Articles

Subjects

  • Nutrition
    • Nutrition
  • Fetus/Newborn Infant
    • Fetus/Newborn Infant
    • Neonatology
  • Journal Info
  • Editorial Board
  • Editorial Policies
  • Overview
  • Licensing Information
  • Authors/Reviewers
  • Author Guidelines
  • Submit My Manuscript
  • Open Access
  • Reviewer Guidelines
  • Librarians
  • Institutional Subscriptions
  • Usage Stats
  • Support
  • Contact Us
  • Subscribe
  • Resources
  • Media Kit
  • About
  • International Access
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Statement
  • FAQ
  • AAP.org
  • shopAAP
  • Follow American Academy of Pediatrics on Instagram
  • Visit American Academy of Pediatrics on Facebook
  • Follow American Academy of Pediatrics on Twitter
  • Follow American Academy of Pediatrics on Youtube
  • RSS
American Academy of Pediatrics

© 2021 American Academy of Pediatrics