An Association of Iron Deficiency Anemia with Acute Gastroenteritis among Children: A cross sectional study

Background: Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) and acute gastroenteritis (AGE) are prevalent conditions among children globally, affecting health outcomes significantly. Objective: To determine the association between iron deficiency anemia and acute gastroenteritis among children through a cross-sectional study. Material and Methods: In this six-month cross-sectional study, a total of 180 children presenting with symptoms of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) at Al Syed Children Hospital, Mardan, KP, Pakistan were included. Associations between IDA and various factors were analyzed using chi-square tests, with a significance level set at p < 0.05. Results: Significant associations were observed across several parameters among acute gastroenteritis (AGE) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) patients. The majority of children with AGE were aged less than 2 years (60.8%), while children with IDA showed a similar distribution (59.8%), with a statistically significant p-value of 0.03. Male children were more prevalent in both AGE (69.7%), IDA (54.7%) groups, though gender distribution did not show statistical significance (p=0.98). Family income levels below 20,000 BDT were more common among children with AGE (63.5%), IDA (62.4%), although not statistically significant (p=0.16). Cow’s milk ingestion was significantly associated with IDA (48.7%) compared to AGE (80%), with a p-value of 0.001. Furthermore, children with moderate malnutrition exhibited a significantly higher prevalence of IDA (50.4%) compared to AGE (82.2%), also with a p-value of 0.001. Conclusion: Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is prevalent among children with acute gastroenteritis (AGE), with notable contributing factors including age below 2 years, cow’s milk ingestion, and moderate malnutrition.