The Effect of Iron Deficiency Anemia on Emergency Department Admission in Asthmatic Children

Iron deficiency (ID) is the most common nutritional deficiency and cause of anemia in childhood. Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is a common public health problem in Turkey as in the rest of the World. Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the respiratory tract, affecting approximately 10% of the population in developing countries. There are very few reports available in the medical literature regarding the association of childhood asthma and anemia, as well as the effects of anemia on asthma. This study was designed to investigate the possible relationship between serum iron levels of asthmatic patients and their frequency of emergency admission for asthma exacerbation treatment.

The patients who were followed up with a diagnosis of asthma for at least 12 months at the Ankara Child Health and Diseases Hematology Oncology Training and Research Hospital, whose current age is below 21, and whose serum iron, total iron binding capacity, and ferritin levels were checked between 2017 and 2019, were included in the study.

In the assessment of 612 patients diagnosed with asthma, 105 individuals, constituting 18.4% of those under asthma follow-up, were identified as having anemia. Additionally, ID not progressing to anemia was observed in 120 patients, accounting for 21.1% of the total. Individuals with IDA and/or ID alone experienced a significantly higher frequency of emergency admissions for asthma exacerbations. Moreover, ID and/or IDA were established as independent risk factors linked to emergency admissions for asthma exacerbations. odds ratio = 1.56, confidence interval = 1.06-2.30 p = 0.022.

In conclusion, it may be recommended to follow up the hemoglobin and iron parameters of asthmatic patients and to take nutritional and/or supportive preparations to keep them at a high level.