Acute lower respiratory tract infection (ALRTI)
is an important cause of morbidity in the developed world and
both morbidity and mortality in the developing world.
Moreover, iron-deficiency anemia (IDA) is a major health
problem in children.
Aim The aim was to evaluate IDA as a risk factor for ALRTIs in
children.
Participants and methods A total of 200 children were
enrolled in this study, and they were divided into two groups:
group I included 100 children with lower respiratory tract
infections and group II included 100 apparently healthy
children matched for age and sex as a control group. All
enrolled children were subjected to history taking with stress
on recurrent chest infection, clinical examination, and chest
radiographs. Complete blood counting was done with
measures of serum iron, serum ferritin levels, and total ironbinding
capacity.
Results Anemia was found in 74% of cases and 38% of
controls. IDA was present in 60% of cases and 24% of
controls. There was a statistically significant increased
incidence of anemia [odds ratio (OR) was 4.64] and presence
of IDA (OR was 4.75) in group I compared with group II. |
