Prevalence Patterns and Factors Associated with Anemia Among Children 1 to 18 Years with TB Attending Hoima Regional Referral Hospital TB Clinic
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Background Anemia is a frequent comorbidity among children with tuberculosis (TB), affecting their growth, immunity, and overall clinical outcomes. However, there is limited data on the prevalence, severity, morphological types and factors associated in Uganda, particularly in regional referral hospitals. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence, patterns and factors associated with anemia among children 1–18 years with TB attending Hoima Regional Referral Hospital (HRRH) TB clinic. Methods This was a hospital-based analytical cross-sectional study. Children aged 1 to 18 years with TB at HRRH were enrolled following informed consent and assent when appropriate. A blood sample was taken for a complete blood count, which was used to determine hemoglobin level, mean corpuscular hemoglobin and mean capsular volume. The presence of anemia as well as the severity was determined based haemoglobin concentration for age and gender in line with WHO guidelines. The morphological type was either normocytic normochromic, microcytic hypochromic or macrocytic based on the mean corpuscular hemoglobin and mean capsular volume. Logistic regression in SPSS was done to determine the significant factors. Results Of the 242 study participants, children under five years predominated (60.3%). There were slightly more males (52.1%). Anemia was seen in 147 (60.7%) children. Mild anemia predominated (30.6%), followed by moderate (20.7%) and severe (9.5%). Normocytic normochromic predominated (51.7%), followed by microcytic hypochromic (36.7%) and macrocytic (11.6%). In the multivariable analysis, the odds for anemia were increased by over four times among those with severe stunting (P = 0.042), by over three times among those who breastfed for less than 12 months (P = 0.022), by over two times among the HIV positive (P = 0.002), those who have had TB for ≤ 2 months (P = 0.015) and those with a history of weight loss (P = 0.026) and by close to two times for those with moderate stunting (P = 0.005). Conclusion Of every 10 children, 6 had anemia, indicating that anemia is a major comorbidity among pediatric TB patients. Routine screening for anemia should be incorporated into the management of all children with tuberculosis attending TB clinics with particular attention to children with HIV co-infection, stunting, weight loss, and shorter breastfeeding duration.
Source: Research Square
Institution: Kampala International University
Language: English
Subfield: Hematology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7225592995