The Study of the Relationship between Iron Deficiency Anemia and Breath Holding Spell in Children Aged 6 Months to 6 Years, Referring to the Neurology Clinic of Ekbatan, Hamadan, 2010

Breath holding spell (BHS) is one of the most important and common pediatric diagnoses, accompanied by loss of consciousness. Given the similarity of BHS with convulsion, this condition leads to anxiety and fear in parents. The aim of this research was to determine the association between iron deficiency anemia (IDA) and BHS in children living in Hamadan city. This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted on children with BHS, aged 6 months to 6 years, referring to a neurology clinic. Simple random sampling was applied, and the sample size was calculated to be 60, based on the referral of patients to the hospital. Data were collected using a checklist, physical examinations, and diagnostic tests of blood indices including iron, ferritin, and complete blood cell count. Statistical tests including Chi-square and Spearman’s correlation were performed, using SPSS version 16. P-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. As Chi-square results indicated, no relationship was observed between IDA and type of attacks (P=0.3). Therefore, it is suggested that further research with a larger sample size be performed. Also, as Spearman’s correlation test indicated, IDA and BHS were not significantly correlated (P=0.6). As Pearson test results indicated, an insignificant negative correlation was observed between age and the number of attacks (r=-0.12, P=0.3); in fact, increased age was associated with the decreased incidence of attacks, although it was statistically insignificant (r=-0.12, P=0.3). Therefore, parents should be assured about the limited and benign nature of BHS and they should not be concerned about their children’s future health.