Aisha Sajid, Muhammad Asim Ikram, Hafiz M Shahid, Saad Maroof Saeed.
Iron Deficiency Anemia in Children; Common But Commonly Missed.
Pak Paed J Jan ;38(2):91-5.

Objective: 1. To assess the awareness of parents regarding anemia in their children. 2. To determine the association of pica and severity of anemia in patients having iron deficiency. Methods: This case series was conducted at the department of Pediatrics, Madina Teaching Hospital/University Medical College, Faisalabad, during a period of three months from June 12 - August 2012. Patients presenting in OPD clinic having normal growth parameters were evaluated for iron deficiency anemia. Statistical analysis was done by SPSS version 19 and p value <0.05 was considered significant. Results: Total 200 cases of iron deficiency anemia were studied. Sixty three children were female and 137 were male. Majority of them belonged to poor socioeconomic status (85%) and rural areas (80%). Breath holding spells were uncommon (7.5%). Very few parents had awareness regarding pallor in their children and majority of them were from middle class. (p = 0.002). Pica was found to be present in 74% of cases and it was not dependent upon severity of anemia (p= 0.504). Conclusion: Clinicians should keep an eye on pallor and other commonly missed features suggesting iron deficiency like pica in children, even without being complained by the parent. Furthermore, certain guidelines are needed for screening of iron deficiency with or without anemia in children of developing countries.

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