Prevalence of Undiagnosed Anemia in Patients with Congenital Heart Disease

Abstract

Childhood anaemia poses a major public health issue leading to an increased risk of child mortality, as well as the negative consequences of iron-deficiency anaemia on cognitive and physical development. At its special session on children in 2003, the United Nations General Assembly set a goal to reduce the prevalence of anaemia by one third by 2010(WHO, 2004). Despite this, the incidence of anaemia in children aged under 5 between 1990 and 2010 has actually increased (Kassebaum et al., 2013). Several studies have linked between anemia and congenital heart diseases in infants, children and adults, in our study we aimed to detect the prevalence of undiagnosed anemia and its type among children with congenital heart diseases. This was case control study, carried out in Ain Shams University children Hospital – cardiology clinic, from May 2015 to November 2015, included 80 children who attended to the outpatient clinic, they have been divided into 2 equal groups; cases group (40 children) who have congenital heart disease and came for follow up, and control group (40 children) who were apparently healthy, age & sex were matched in both groups. All patients with congenital heart diseases who attended the outpatient cardiology clinic had been included in the study group, and patients who had previous total corrective surgery, patients taking iron supplements, patients with known hematological diseases or megaloblastic anemia and children with chronic or systemic illness had been excluded. After verbal consent taking from the parents, taking history, performing clinical examination and sample taking, collected samples had been sent to the laboratory and results were analyzed. Complete blood picture (CBC), Ferritin level, Serum Iron, and TIBC were performed for all participants (Patients and Control). Each arm in the study contained 40 children. Patients group was subdivided into cyanotic group (13 patients); 6 males and 7 females, and acyanotic group (27 patients); 15 males and 12 females. Furthermore, patients group were subdivided into anemic group (28 patients); 14 males and 14 females, and non-anemic (12 patients). Control group were divided into anemic group (18 children); 12 males and 6 females, and non-anemic (22 children). Cases group is subdivided into cyanotic group (13 cases) and acyanotic (27 cases) group. Among our patients group the following diseases were detected: VSD  10 cases, ASD  9 cases, Fallot tetralogy  8 cases, A-V canal  4 cases, TGA 