Background: Failure to thrive is a common problem in infancy and children result from inadequate nutrition or chronic illnesses. Objective: To assess the severity and risk factors associated with failure to thrive. Patients and Methods: In this cross-section study, 50 children under 2 years of age with FTT admitted to Jalawla general hospital, Diyala province, Iraq during the period 1st of Jan. to 1st of July 2018 were studied. The parameters used to assess the growth of involved children included weight, height and head circumference for ages, using Z-score (Standard deviation score) and the mean had been taken from Tanner growth chart. Other child variables included socioeconomic status and hemoglobin level also studied. Results: The male: female ratio was 1.5:1 and 38 children (76%) were below one year of age, 25 of them (50%) were of low socioeconomic state and the majority from overcrowded families. Maternal illiteracy was recorded in 26 (52%). Twenty-three children (46%) were exclusively bottle-fed. Twenty-two children (44%) their weights for age were <-3SD below the mean, twelve children (14%) their heights for age were <-3SD, seven children (14%), had head circumference <-3SD which indicate very severe malnutrition. Most of children in this study were from large size families with low socioeconomic status. Conclusion: Failure to thrive is a common problem in our locality. Those below one year of age constitutes 76%, and 50% were from low socioeconomic families.

Background: There are many risk factor for asthma occurrence like gender, atopy and infection. Trace elements like iron, magnesium and zinc play a role in decreasing airway hyperreponsiveness. Objective: To evaluate iron deficiency anemia as a risk factor for childhood asthma and its likely outcome on lung functions. Patients and Methods: Across-sectional comparative study was conducted on 200 children, 6-14 years old who admitted to the outpatient pediatric clinics and emergency department of Albatool Teaching hospital in Diyala governorate from Oct. 2017 to Oct 2018, they were categorized into: group I: 100 children with IDA-who was subdivided into group Ia: Asthmatic children and group I b: Non asthmatic children. Group II: 100 children without IDA, subdivided into group II a: asthmatic children and group II b: non-asthmatic children. Results: Children with asthma in group I a the male to female ratio was 1.75/1.0 and in group II b the ratio was 1.4/1.0.The anemic group with asthma constitute 66% of group I, while in group II the asthmatic children constituted 24%of included children. Anemic asthmatic children had significant difference regarding pulmonary function tests in comparison to non-anemic asthmatics. Conclusion: Anemic asthmatics group constituted 66%, and anemia had significant detrimental effects on pulmonary function tests in comparison to non-anemic asthmatics.