Serum Iron level and other Associated Factors in Children with Breath Holding Spells

Abdulkader Alrabaty, Abbas

	Serum Iron level and other Associated Factors in Children with Breath Holding Spells
IRAQI JOURNALOF COMMUNITY MEDICINE
Article 1, Volume 23, Issue 3, 2010, Pages 153-157
Author
Abbas Abdulkader Alrabaty
Abstract
Background: Breath-holding spell (BHS) is an episode in which the child stops breathing and loses consciousness for a short period immediately after a frightening or emotionally upsetting event. They occur most commonly within the first 12 months of life and virtually all breath-holders experience their initial spell by the age of 2years. Objectives: Evaluation of clinical presentation of breath holding spells and relation of this condition with serum iron levels. Material & Method: A case control study was performed in Erbil Raparren children hospital, it included fifty three children aged 6months-3years (27 male and 26 female) with a history of breath holding spells .They were compared with 71child as a control group with the same range of age and gender. The study was performed from first of January to the end of April 2008. To obtain all relevant data a specifically designed questionnaire requiring information on: age of onset of spells, gender, types of spells, frequency of the attack, family history, milestone, scolding, painful experience& convulsion. Laboratory evaluation of hemoglobin, blood film, serum iron and iron binding capacity were performed for all cases and controls. Results: The higher age onset of breath holding spells ranged between 6-12month, 39cases(73.6%), the cyanotic spell was detected in 34cases (64.2%),pallid type in 7 cases(13%), mixed type in 12 cases(22.6%). scolding was found in 39cases(73.6%), painful experience in 38cases (71.7%), convulsion in 6 cases(11.3%),and delayed milestone was only seen in one case (1.9%) The hemoglobin level was low in 27cases (50.9%) with breath holding spells in comparison to 14 cases (19.7%) with low hemoglobin level in the control group. The serum Iron level was decreased in 36cases (67.9%) in comparison with 30 cases (42.3%) in the control group, 38 cases (71.6%) of cases were hypochromic anemia in blood film in comparison to 28 cases (39.43%) of controls and regarding total iron binding capacity it is increased in 13 cases (24.5%)of cases of breath holding spells , and only in 4 cases (3.2%) of control group . Conclusions: It has been concluded that children with breath holding spells had lower hemoglobin and serum iron and elevated total iron binding capacity levels than normal children. Key words: breath-holding, pallid spells, cyanotic spells, serum iron.
Keywords
breath; holding; pallid spells; cyanotic spells; serum iron

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