Postponing umbilical cord blockade would help prevent anemia in children
The health of children is a goal for all parents. Making the little ones in the house in top shape is something that all parents want and for this they use all kinds of preventive measures. Techniques with which to prevent the appearance of different diseases in children.
Now a group of researchers from the University of Uppsala, in Sweden, suggests that these preventive measures can start from the moment of birth. It is in this situation that you can reduce the chances of anemia in children with a technique as simple as postponing the umbilical cord block.
Blood and iron
The researchers thought that if holding the baby together for longer could help reduce the chances of anemia while through the umbilical cord receives blood rich in iron from the placenta. To check the hypothesis, the specialists analyzed the cases of 540 babies, between which there were situations in which the blockade had been delayed three minutes and others in which it had been automatic.
After eight months, those babies who had had a delayed umbilical cord block had a 11% less of possibilities of anemia. At the same time these children were 42% less likely to have iron deficiency in their blood. "If the blockage is early, the baby does not receive all of its blood since it is still in the placenta," explains the doctor. Ola Andersson, lead author of this study that adds "that extra blood could protect the baby from anemia and iron deficiency in the first year of life."
Very common deficit
Studies like these could help prevent one of the most common disorders in the world: iron deficiency, which affects some 2 billion people. Some figures that reveal the real situation of this condition that could be prevented with this technique of delayed blocking of the umbilical cord.
The Association of Spanish Pediatrics, AEP, indicates that anemia occurs when red blood cells contain a smaller amount of hemoglobin of the normal. The lack of this component, essential for oxygen transport throughout the body, it is necessary that there are sufficient iron deposits.
The lack of iron, ferropenia, is one of the most frequent nutritional deficiencies in the world and is usually the most common cause of anemia. Sometimes it can happen that this condition happens because of iron deficit in the body due to malabsorption of this nutrient or because the diet does not contain the recommended levels for children. In any case these are the most common causes for this health problem according to the AEP:
- Due to problems of intestinal malabsorption.
- By repeated bleeding: very abundant menstruations, very frequent nosebleeds, digestive blood losses, etc.
- In moments of rapid growth, as it happens in childhood and adolescence.
From the World Health Organization, WHO, it is recommended to wait at least a minute to have it block the umbilical cord. A way to prevent this disorder and that supports the results of this study that showed that the use of this intervention could translate into 5 million fewer babies with anemia at eight months of age.
Damián Montero
