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Association between atopic disease and anemia in pediatrics: a cross-sectional study
Kiyon Rhew1,2, Jung Mi Oh3,4
1College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea.
Insights
Pediatric atopic diseases like dermatitis, rhinitis, and asthma are linked to iron deficiency anemia (IDA). The study found a significant association between these inflammatory conditions and IDA in children, highlighting a potential health concern.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric immunology and hematology
- Inflammatory and allergic diseases
- Nutritional deficiencies
Background:
- Atopic diseases (dermatitis, rhinitis, asthma) are common inflammatory conditions in children.
- The relationship between pediatric atopic diseases and anemia, specifically iron deficiency anemia (IDA), requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between common pediatric atopic diseases and iron deficiency anemia (IDA).
- To analyze the prevalence of IDA in relation to the presence and number of atopic disease diagnoses in children.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study utilizing South Korean pediatric data from 2016 (HIRA dataset).
- Multivariable logistic regression analysis was employed to assess the association between atopic diseases and IDA, adjusting for demographic covariates.
- A large cohort of 846,718 pediatric patients was analyzed.
Main Results:
- A significant association was found between atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis, asthma, and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in pediatric patients.
- The adjusted odds ratios (aOR) for IDA were 1.42 for atopic dermatitis, 1.25 for allergic rhinitis, and 1.71 for asthma.
- The prevalence of IDA increased with the number of comorbid atopic diseases, with aORs ranging from 1.30 to 2.58 for one to three diagnoses.
Conclusions:
- Atopic diseases in children are significantly associated with an increased risk of iron deficiency anemia (IDA).
- The findings underscore the importance of considering anemia screening in pediatric patients with atopic conditions.
- Further research is recommended to differentiate between IDA and anemia of inflammation (AI) in this population.
Background:
Atopic diseases, such as atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis, and asthma, are inflammatory diseases common in pediatric patients. This study investigated whether these inflammatory atopic diseases were associated with anemia in pediatrics.
Methods:
A cross-sectional study was conducted using a pediatric dataset from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) of South Korea in 2016. Multivariable logistic regression, adjusting for demographic covariates was used for analyse the association between atopic disease and iron deficiency anemia (IDA).
Results:
A total of 846,718 pediatric patients were included in the study. Of these, 19,594 (2.31%) had a diagnosis of IDA. The logistic regression analyses including covariates revealed there were association between atopic disease and IDA. The adjusted OR (aOR) of IDA was 1.42 (95% CI, 1.37-1.47) for atopic dermatitis, 1.25 (95% CI, 1.21-1.29) for allergic rhinitis, and 1.71 (95% CI, 1.65-1.76) for asthma. IDA was more prevalent in patients with multiple comorbid atopic diseases, with aOR of 1.30 (95% CI, 1.25-1.35), 1.81 (95% CI, 1.73-1.89), and 2.58 (95% CI, 2.43-2.73) for 1, 2, or 3 atopic diagnoses. There was no evidence of multicollinearity among covariates.
Conclusions:
Our findings suggest that atopic disease was associated with IDA. Further study is needed to clarify the distinction between IDA and/or AI to better understand the cause of anemia in patients with inflammatory diseases.
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