Does anaemia increase the risk of acute lower respiratory tract infections in children aged 1-5 years?

Introduction: Anaemia is a major problem in children aged 1-5 years. Lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) is defined as inflammation of the respiratory tract below the level of the larynx and is a common cause of admission to paediatric units in Sri Lanka. It is reported that anaemic children have a high risk of developing LRTIs.
Objectives: To identify the association between anaemia and increased risk of developing LRTI in children aged 1-5 years presenting to a selected children's hospital in Sri Lanka.
Method: A case-control study was conducted in all paediatric medical wards and intensive care units in Sirimavo Bandaranayake Children's Hospital, Peradeniya, from November 2022 to March 2023. Children aged 1-5 years admitted with LRTI were selected as cases. Children aged 1-5 years admitted without features of respiratory tract infection were selected as controls to match the age and sex of the cases. Data were collected from a questionnaire to parents and also from patient records. Data were analysed using SPSS version 22.
Results: A total of 272 children was included in the study. Anaemia was found in 56.6% of cases and 44.9% of controls. The mean haemoglobin (Hb) levels of the cases and controls were 10.00±0.899 and 10.16±0.8032 respectively. Among cases, there were 57.4% of hypochromic-microcytic peripheral smears. Frequency of anaemia was significantly higher among cases as compared to controls (Odds ratio 1.605; CI: 1.025- 2.590, p-value= 0.045).
Conclusions: The frequency of anaemia was significantly higher among cases as compared to controls. Anaemic children were 1.6 times more prone to get LRTI.