Uso de hierro suplementario en lactantes menores de un año

OBJECTIVE: To describe the use of supplemental iron in infants under one year of age treated at the Pediatric Outpatient Clinic of the Regional Hospital of Zacapa from January 2020 to January 2025. METHOD: A retrospective descriptive study was conducted with a sample of 379 infant patients under one year of age. RESULTS: The most frequent age for the beginning of iron supplementation was between 7 and 12 months in 52.83%, with a predominance of the male sex in 58.49%. A total of 32.08% presented normal nutritional status, and 35.36% had hematology performed prior to treatment; among these, 44.78% had deficient hemoglobin. In all cases, a dose of 4 mg/kg/day of iron was used. CONCLUSION: The use of supplemental iron in infants at the Regional Hospital of Zacapa is mainly aimed at preventing iron deficiency, although in most cases no prior hematological evaluation was performed.