TY - JOUR
T1 - Folate Deficiency to Protect against Malaria
AU - Herbert, Victor
AU - Taylor, Terrie E.
AU - Molyneux, Malcolm E.
AU - Thuma, Philip E.
AU - Gordeuk, Victor
AU - Brittenham, Gary
PY - 1993/4/15
Y1 - 1993/4/15
N2 - To the Editor: Gordeuk et al. (Nov. 19 issue)1 suggest that iron deficiency may protect against malaria. It does not. Of 101 children with malaria and anemia studied in Kenya, 15 had iron deficiency2. The development of malaria was not impaired because plasmodia obtain their iron from hemoglobin in iron-deficient red cells3. Ten of the children in Kenya had sickle cell disease,2 which, like thalassemia, is usually protective against malaria3. They had been taking folate supplements because of the increased need for folate in chronic hemolytic anemias and thus did not have the folate deficiency otherwise common…
AB - To the Editor: Gordeuk et al. (Nov. 19 issue)1 suggest that iron deficiency may protect against malaria. It does not. Of 101 children with malaria and anemia studied in Kenya, 15 had iron deficiency2. The development of malaria was not impaired because plasmodia obtain their iron from hemoglobin in iron-deficient red cells3. Ten of the children in Kenya had sickle cell disease,2 which, like thalassemia, is usually protective against malaria3. They had been taking folate supplements because of the increased need for folate in chronic hemolytic anemias and thus did not have the folate deficiency otherwise common…
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U2 - 10.1056/NEJM199304153281514
DO - 10.1056/NEJM199304153281514
M3 - Letter
C2 - 8455678
AN - SCOPUS:0027401405
SN - 0028-4793
VL - 328
SP - 1127
EP - 1128
JO - New England Journal of Medicine
JF - New England Journal of Medicine
IS - 15
ER -