The incidence of Iron Deficiency Anemia in Allergic Rhinitis patients in Qena University Hospital

Background: Allergic rhinitis is a common disease of immune origin. It affects the quality of life of patients negatively. Objectives: To evaluate the changes in iron profile in allergic rhinitis patients. Patients and methods: This study was conducted on thirty patients with allergic rhinitis. All of the participants were subjected to clinical evaluation and the following investigations: Complete blood picture, Serum ferritin, Serum iron and total iron binding capacity (TIBC) and IgE. Visual analogue scale (VAS) score was used to measure the severity of allergic rhinitis. Results: Among the studied patients, there were 18 males (60%) and 12 females (40%), the mean age of studied patients was 11.3 ± 4.2 (SD) years with mean onset age of 4.6 ± 3.01(SD) years and mean duration of disease of 6.7 ± 2.9 years. There were 8 patients (26.7%) with positive family history in the studied patients. The incidence of iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia was significantly higher in children with severe allergic rhinitis compared with mild cases. Also we found statistically significant difference (p-value = 0.037) between mild, moderate & severe cases of allergic rhinitis as regard Hb, MCH, HCT, ferritin, serum iron and TIBC. A statistically significant difference (p-value = 0.015) was noted between mild, moderate & severe cases as regard IgE. Serum IgE is correlated with the severity of allergic rhinitis in children. Conclusion: Prevalence of iron deficiency anemia in pediatric patients with allergic rhinitis is higher than in patients without atopic disease. Iron deficiency anemia increases markedly with severity of allergic rhinitis. Serum IgE is correlated with the severity of allergic rhinitis in children.