LAUSR

Key Points Question Are antenatal maternal anemia and postnatal child anemia associated with brain volumes in early childhood? Findings In this cohort study of 147 mother-child pairs in South Africa, there was a 31% prevalence of maternal anemia in pregnancy. Maternal anemia, but not child anemia, was associated with significantly smaller subcortical (caudate and putamen) and corpus callosum volumes in children at ages 2 to 3 years. Meaning These findings suggest that anemia during pregnancy was associated with altered brain structure in children, highlighting the importance of optimizing interventions during pregnancy.