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Atopic disease associated with childhood anemia
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Recent research in JAMA Pediatrics revealed an association between anemia and atopic diseases, such as asthma, eczema, hay fever and food allergies, in children and adolescents.
“Atopic disease was associated with increased odds of caregiver-reported anemia in the majority of years of the [US National Health Interview Survey] and in analyses of all 17 years of the [US National Health Interview Survey],” Jonathan I. Silverberg, MD, PhD, MPH, of the department of dermatology at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and colleagues wrote. “Childhood asthma and eczema were associated with higher odds of anemia, particularly microcytic anemia as defined by laboratory assay test results, in the [National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey].”
Jonathan I. Silverberg
The researchers assessed caregiver-reported data from two large cohort surveys: the 1997 to 2013 US National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) studies, which included data on 207,007 children and adolescents; and the 1999 to 2012 NHANES studies, which included data on 30,673 children and adolescents. Health interviews were conducted in the study participant’s home, and information related to eczema, asthma, hay fever, food allergies and anemia were collected. Anemia was verified by blood tests in the NHANES survey. Study participants were representative of all pediatric age, sex, race, education and income groups.
Study results showed that anemia was associated with eczema in 14 of the 17 NHIS study years. Likewise, hay fever and food allergies were associated with anemia in 12 of the 17 studies, whereas asthma was associated in 11 of the 17 studies.
Based on NHIS data, the researchers found that children with eczema, asthma, hay fever and food allergies were more likely to have anemia (P < .001).
Data collected from the NHANES study years showed that children with current history of asthma (P = .02) and eczema (P = .04) were more likely to have anemia. The researchers noted that asthma (P = .02) and eczema (P = .009) also increased the odds for microcytic anemia.
The researchers also noted that hay fever had no association with any type of anemia in the NHANES data.
“It is likely that the association between atopic disease and anemia is multifactorial,” Silverberg and colleagues wrote. “Regardless of the underlying mechanisms, awareness of the association between atopic disease and anemia is important.” – by David Costill
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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