Table 4.

Effect of enteral iron supplementation on neurological development in preterm and low-birth-weight infants

Reference	Duration of intervention	Age at follow-upa	Outcome assessment	Main findings
Berglund et al (2018)16	4.5 mo	7 y	Wechsler Scale of Intelligence	No significant differences between treatment groups in Wechsler Scale or Five-to-Fifteen scores.
			Child Behavior Checklist
			Five-to-Fifteen questionnaire	Children in placebo group had significantly higher Child Behavior Checklist scores for externalizing problems than did supplemented groups.
Joy et al (2014)18	6–10 wk	12 wk	Hammer-Smith neurological examination	No significant difference between treatment groups in prevalence of neurological deficits.
Miller et al (2013)20	3 wk	6 and 24 mo CA	Bayley Scales of Infant Development (3rd Edition)	No significant difference between treatment groups in scores at 6 or 24 mo CA.
Berglund et al (2013)22	4.5 mo	3.5 y	Wechsler Scale of Intelligence	No significant difference between treatment groups on Wechsler Scale.
			Child Behavior Checklist	Significantly higher prevalence of Child Behavior Checklist total problem scores > US subclinical cutoff in placebo group compared to supplemented groups.
Berglund et al (2011)23	4.5 mo	6 mo	Auditory brainstem responses	No significant difference between treatment groups in auditory brainstem response wave V latencies.
				Central conduction time significantly higher in treatment group but not correlated to iron intake.
Steinmacher et al (2007)26	NR	5 y CA	Gross Motor Functioning Classification Scale	Significantly higher prevalence of abnormal results on standard neurological examination in late group compared to early group.
			Lincoln-Oseretsky Scale	No significant differences between groups in any other developmental measures.
			Kaufman Assessment Battery
			Visual impairment
			Child Behavior Checklist
Friel et al (2001)32	1 y	3, 6, 9, 12 mo CA	Griffiths Mental Development Assessment	No significant difference between treatment groups in assessment scores at any time point.

^aChronological age, unless otherwise stated.

Abbreviation: CA, corrected age; NR, not reported.