Anemia as a risk factor for childhood asthma

Objective: This prospective-(cohort) study was conducted to evaluate whether anemia is a risk factor for childhood asthma. Materials and Methods: Two hundred children in the age group of 2-18 years who attended the Outpatient Department with upper respiratory / lower respiratory tract infections were included in this study. One hundred children with anemia were taken as the study group and another 100, age - and sex-matched children without anemia were taken as the control.They were subjected to complete blood count (CBC) C-reactive protein (CRP) estimation, Mantoux test and chest X-ray. Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) were performed on those above six years showing evidence of asthma. Peripheral smear, serum ferritin and serum iron-binding capacity were estimated for all anemic children. Results: Asthma was present in 74 (74%) children in the study group and in 33 (33%) children in the control group. Iron-deficiency anemia was present in 85 (85%) anemia of chronic infection in 20 (20%) and the other five (5%) had hemolytic anemia. Anemia was found to be a risk factor for childhood asthma. Conclusion: Anemic children were 5.75 times more susceptible to asthmatic attacks when compared with nonanemic children.