[Relations between iron levels in mothers and in their newborn infants].

The iron levels were evaluated in 124 pregnant women towards the end of their pregnancies and in their newborn babies in 4 maternity units in Paris and in the surroundings. Two-third of the women studied had total absence of iron reserves (shown by a serum ferritin level less than or equal to 12 micrograms/l). Those who were at the greatest risk of having iron deficiency or anaemia were immigrant, non continental french and multiparous women. The tissue reserves of iron in the newborn are not directly linked to the levels of iron in the mother but are probably linked to the foetal and maternal haemoglobin-synthesis.