Anemia in children with and without Helicobacter pylori infection
Mohammad Taghi Haghi-Ashtiani1, Maryam Monajemzadeh, Farzaneh Motamed
1Department of Pathology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Insights
This study found no link between Helicobacter pylori infection and iron deficiency anemia in children. Further research is needed to explore potential associations, considering factors like socioeconomic status and specific bacterial strains.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Gastroenterology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Iron deficiency anemia is a common pediatric condition.
- Emerging evidence suggests a potential link between Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) gastritis and iron deficiency anemia.
- Both H. pylori infection and iron deficiency anemia are prevalent in children, necessitating investigation into their relationship.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the correlation between H. pylori infection and iron deficiency anemia in a pediatric population.
- To determine if H. pylori infection is a contributing factor to iron deficiency anemia in children.
Main Methods:
- A case-control study was conducted involving 100 children with H. pylori infection and 109 controls.
- H. pylori infection was confirmed via histology.
- Iron deficiency anemia was diagnosed based on low serum ferritin and hemoglobin levels, adjusted for age and sex.
Main Results:
- No significant difference in H. pylori infection rates was observed between anemic and non-anemic children (43.9% vs. 50.4%).
- The prevalence of iron deficiency anemia was similar in children with (19%) and without (21.1%) H. pylori infection (p=0.7).
- No correlation was found between the severity of H. pylori gastritis and the presence of anemia.
Conclusions:
- The study's findings do not support an association between H. pylori infection and iron deficiency anemia in children.
- Further research is recommended, focusing on socioeconomic status, specific H. pylori strains, and post-treatment iron status.
Background:
Iron deficiency is the most common cause of anemia in children. Recently there has been evidence to suggest a relationship between Helicobacter pylori gastritis and iron deficiency anemia. Because both H. pylori infection and iron-deficiency anemia are common in children, we studied any correlation between H. pylori infection and iron-deficiency anemia in children.
Method:
In a case-control study at the Children's Medical Center Hospital, 100 children with H. pylori infection and 109 children without infection according to histology were evaluated. Iron-deficiency anemia was diagnosed when serum ferritin and hemoglobin levels were less than adjusted values for age and sex.
Results:
There were 111 boys and 98 girls with a median age of 7.1 years. The main symptom was abdominal pain in H. pylori-infected and non-infected patients. Frequency of H. pylori infection in anemic and non-anemic patients was nearly similar (43.9 and 50.4%, respectively). Among patients with H. pylori, 36% had anemia and in patient without H. pylori infection, its frequency was 42.2% (p = 0.59). Among patients with H. pylori, 19% had iron-deficiency anemia and in patients without H. pylori infection, its frequency was 21.1% (p = 0.7). Among patients with H. pylori, the difference between the severity of gastritis in those with anemia and those without anemia was not statistically significant (p = 0.382) and no correlation was found between degree of H. pylori colonization and anemia.
Conclusions:
Our results do not support the proposal that H. pylori infection is associated with iron-deficiency anemia in children. Further studies emphasizing the socioeconomic status of children, evaluation of strains of H. pylori, and posttreatment measurement of serum iron and serum ferritin are necessary to show the possible association.
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