Correlation of tuberculosis-related anemia severity with tuberculosis-induced inflammation in children: a six-year retrospective study

Chunjiao Han; Yulian Fang; Lili Dong; Detong Guo; Min Lei; Wei Guo; Chunquan Cai

doi:10.1186/s13052-024-01664-3

Italian Journal of Pediatrics (Jun 2024)

Correlation of tuberculosis-related anemia severity with tuberculosis-induced inflammation in children: a six-year retrospective study

Chunjiao Han,
Yulian Fang,
Lili Dong,
Detong Guo,
Min Lei,
Wei Guo,
Chunquan Cai

Affiliations

Chunjiao Han: Tianjin Children’s Hospital, Children’s Hospital of Tianjin University, Tianjin Pediatric Research Institute, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Birth Defects for Prevention and Treatment
Yulian Fang: Tianjin Children’s Hospital, Children’s Hospital of Tianjin University, Tianjin Pediatric Research Institute, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Birth Defects for Prevention and Treatment
Lili Dong: Department of Pulmonology, Tianjin Children’s Hospital, Children’s Hospital of Tianjin University
Detong Guo: Tianjin Children’s Hospital, Children’s Hospital of Tianjin University, Tianjin Pediatric Research Institute, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Birth Defects for Prevention and Treatment
Min Lei: Tianjin Children’s Hospital, Children’s Hospital of Tianjin University, Tianjin Pediatric Research Institute, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Birth Defects for Prevention and Treatment
Wei Guo: Department of Pulmonology, Tianjin Children’s Hospital, Children’s Hospital of Tianjin University
Chunquan Cai: Tianjin Children’s Hospital, Children’s Hospital of Tianjin University, Tianjin Pediatric Research Institute, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Birth Defects for Prevention and Treatment

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13052-024-01664-3
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 50, no. 1
pp. 1 – 7

Abstract

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Abstract Background Anemia is a common complication of tuberculosis (TB), and there is evidence that its prevalence is higher in patients with TB. Although TB is very important in epidemiology, careful investigation of TB-related anemia in children has not been carried out systematically. This study aimed to describe the details of anemia in children with TB and its association with clinical characteristics and the severity of inflammation. Methods In this retrospective study, we explored Hb levels in 103 children with pulmonary TB (PTB) and they were divided into anemic or non-anemic groups. Logistics regression analysis was used to study the associations between anemia and demographic characteristics. Spearman correlations analysis was performed to analyse the associations between the biochemical parameters and hemoglobin levels in blood. Results The prevalence of anemia in children with TB was 37.9% (48.7% showed microcytic hypochromic anemia, and 5.1% showed normal cell anemia). Compared with the anemia (n = 39) group, the non-anemic group (n = 64) had longer fever duration and increased respiratory rate (P < 0.05). In logistic regression analysis, anemia was associated with lower levels of Alb and higher levels of WBC, CRP, LDH, and ESR (P < 0.05). Spearman correlations analysis showed a significant negative correlation between hemoglobin (Hb) levels and inflammatory markers. After one month of antitubercular therapy (ATT), the Hb levels of 76.9% children returned to normal. Conclusions Anemia is common among children with TB at diagnosis. The majority of children with TB-related anemia are mild to moderate microcytic hypochromic anemia. There is a strong correlation between the severity of anemia and the inflammation induced by TB. This suggests that anemia is a biomarker of the severity of TB in clinical practice among children.

Published in Italian Journal of Pediatrics

ISSN: 1720-8424 (Print); 1824-7288 (Online)
Publisher: BMC
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Medicine: Pediatrics
Website: https://ijponline.biomedcentral.com/

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