Iron Deficiency Anemia as a Risk Factor for Lower Respiratory Tract Infections

Abstract

LRTI associated with anemia occurs more commonly in children than in adults, with anemia affecting approximately 30% of children all over the world. Iron deficiency anemia in children occurs most frequently between the age of 6 months and 3 years, the same period of age when repeated infections occur. So, the aim of the study was to evaluate the role of iron deficiency anemia as a risk factor for lower respiratory tract infections. Our study included seventy-four children with LRTI of both sex. Included children were aged 3.56±3.66 years, carried out on 74 children admitted in Pediatric Department, Agouza Police Hospital in a period from March to December 2013. These children suffering from lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI), they were subdivided into two groups according to presence or absence of respiratory distress signs. They were matched with another 36 apparently healthy children with the same age and sex served as control group. Estimation of serum iron, ferritin and TIBC levels was performed to all patients and control. In our study, male patients were affected by acute lower respiratory tract infections more than females, with a pecentage of 56% to 44%.