Gaps in evidence regarding iron deficiency anemia in pregnant women and young children: summary of US Preventive Services Task Force recommendations

Abstract

The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) makes recommendations to primary care providers regarding preventive services for asymptomatic patients. Recommendations are based on the scientific evidence that the delivery of the preventive service leads to improvements in meaningful patient outcomes. After a review of the available evidence, the USPSTF found insufficient evidence to recommend routine iron supplementation for pregnant women or routine screening for iron deficiency anemia in pregnant women or young children. The USPSTF identified a critical evidence gap that is related to whether changing hematologic indexes in otherwise asymptomatic pregnant women or in infants within populations who are reflective of the United States leads to an improvement in maternal or child health outcomes. Future research opportunities are described to address these important evidence gaps.

Keywords: iron; pregnant women; screening; supplementation; young children.

FIGURE 1

Generic analytic framework for a screening preventive service. The numbered circles identify key questions for the systematic evidence review process. Reproduced from reference with permission.