Iron Poisoning in Children

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Medical Author:

Douglas S Lee, MD

Coauthor:

Ruben Olmedo, MD

Medical Editor:

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.

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• Iron Poisoning in Children Overview
• Iron Poisoning in Children Causes
• Iron Poisoning in Children Symptoms
• When to Seek Medical Care
• Iron Poisoning in Children Diagnosis
• Iron Poisoning in Children Treatment
• Iron Poisoning in Children Self-Care at Home
• Iron Poisoning in Children Prevention
• Iron Poisoning in Children Prognosis
• Synonyms and Keywords
• Author and Editor

Please call the Poison Control Center at 1-800-222-1222 immediately for any suspected poisoning in children or adults.

Iron poisoning occurs when a person, usually a child, swallows a large number of iron-containing pills, most often vitamins.

Acute iron poisoning mainly involves children younger than 6 years who swallow pediatric or adult vitamins containing iron. These children may not be able or willing to tell you what and how much they swallowed.

Iron salt is available in multiple preparations. For instance, ferrous sulfate is available as drops, syrup, elixir, capsules, and tablets.

Iron preparations are widely used and are available without a prescription and may be contained in bottles with or without child resistant closures.

• The amount of iron that will cause poisoning depends upon the size of the child. An 8-year-old may show no symptoms from an amount that would cause serious symptoms in a 3-year-old. Symptoms appear at doses greater than 10 mg/kg (based on the body weight of the child).
• Iron is available in different oral forms.
• A child may show no symptoms after eating a number of pills that might have looked like candy. The only evidence may be an opened vitamin bottle. If you know, or even suspect, that a child has eaten tablets, you should consult a hospital's emergency department or poison control center regarding a possible iron poisoning immediately.

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