Association between atopic disease and anemia in pediatrics: a cross-sectional study

Kiyon Rhew,Jung Mi Oh

doi:10.1186/s12887-019-1836-5

Kiyon Rhew, Jung Mi Oh

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12887-019-1836-5

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Abstract

BackgroundAtopic 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.MethodsA 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).ResultsA 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.ConclusionsOur 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.

Highlights

Atopic diseases, such as atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis, and asthma, are inflammatory diseases common in pediatric patients
The Odds ratio (OR) of iron deficiency anemia (IDA) was higher in patients younger [crude odds ratio (cOR) = 0.89; P < 0.001)], if age is as continuous variable, in female patients [cOR = 1.20 relative to male patients; P < 0.001)], and in Medical aid patients [cOR = 1.20 relative to patients under health insurance program
Association of atopic disease and anemia We found that the adjusted OR (aOR) of IDA was significantly higher across patients with atopic disease, at 1.42, 1.25, and 1.71 in patients with atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis, and asthma, respectively

Summary

Introduction

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. Atopic diseases, such as atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis, and asthma, are inflammatory diseases common in pediatrics [1, 2]. No study has definitively evaluated whether the persistent inflammatory state of atopic disease impacts the risk of developing anemia. One study reported an association between higher iron levels and a lower prevalence of asthma [9], the design was cross-sectional, in this study, we investigated whether the chronic inflammatory state of atopic patients affects their risk for anemia while controlling for potentially confounding covariates. We considered the risk factors for both atopic disease and anemia

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