Table 1

Characteristics of group at birth and at discharge

		Birth characteristics				Discharge characteristics
		Number	Birthweight (g)			GA (days)	Sex (M:F)	Discharge weight (g)	PMA (days)	PNA (days)	Hb (g/l)	MCV (fl)	MCH (g/dl)	Ferritin (μg/l)^**	Transfusions (n)^**	Transfused (%)
Group A	29	1383	217	19:10		2192	254	37.3	120	96.6	33.0	100.5	0	45%
		(SD 258)	(SD 16)			(SD 277)	(SD 10)	(SD 17.4)	(SD 17)	(SD 5.7)	(SD 2.5)	(39–254)	(0–3)
Group B	34	1336	214	16:18		2131	253	39.6	128	98.1	33.7	163	1	52%
		(SD 328)	(SD 14)			(SD 338)	(SD 9)	(SD 17.5)	(SD 23)	(SD 7.4)	(SD 2.8)	(23–463)	(0–5)
Group C	15	1258	214	7:8		2019	253	38.3	109	96.8	33.2		0	15%
		(SD 239)	(SD 12)			(SD 255)	(SD 9)	(SD 12.3)	(SD 19)	(SD 6.6)	(SD 2.1)		(0–1)
p value		0.3971-150	0.6061-150	0.282^†		0.2031-150	0.7941-150	0.8521-150	0.0241-150 ¹	0.7431-150	0.6561-150	0.535^#	0.0711-153	0.083^†

↵1-150 ANOVA ; ^†χ² test; ^**median (range) number of transfusions per subject ;^#Mann-Whitney U test.
↵1-153 Kruskal-Wallis test ¹ group Cvs group A; Fisher’s PLSD, mean difference = 18.99 g/l; p=0.0066.
PMA: postmenstrual age; PNA: postnatal age; MCV: mean cell volume; MCH: mean cell haemoglobin.