Anaemia and iron deficiency in children with inflammatory bowel disease

Background and aimsAnaemia and iron deficiency are common in children with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) however it is not known if the prevalence of anaemia and iron deficiency alters following diagnosis.MethodsLaboratory results from diagnosis, and at follow up one and two years later were recorded retrospectively in children with IBD recruited from a tertiary centre. Anaemia was defined using WHO standards and iron deficiency defined using published guidelines.Results46 children (16 girls) with Crohn's disease and 34 children (18 girls) with UC were studied. 75% of children with IBD were anaemic at diagnosis, 30% were anaemic at follow up two years later. 90% of children with Crohn's and 95% of children with Ulcerative Colitis (UC) were iron deficient at diagnosis. At follow up two years later 70% of children with Crohn's and 65% of children with UC were iron deficient.ConclusionsPersistent anaemia and iron deficiency are common in childhood IBD, prevalence alters with duration of time from diagnosis.