The relation between pica and iron deficiency in children in Zanjan, Islamic Republic of Iran: a case-control study

Abstract

Lien entre le pica et les carences en fer chez les enfants à Zanjan, République islamique d'Iran : étude castémoinRÉSUMÉ La présente étude cas-témoin avait pour objectif de déterminer la fréquence du pica et son lien avec les carences en fer chez les enfants de Zanjan. Nous avons sélectionné 872 enfants de manière aléatoire et déterminé la fréquence du pica. Nous avons choisi des élèves en bonne santé du même âge, sexe et de la même classe que nos cas afin de servir de groupe témoin. Les cas et les témoins ont été examinés pour détecter une anémie ferriprive. Parmi les 57 élèves (6,7 %) souffrant de pica, il n'existait pas de lien significatif avec le sexe (p > 0,05). Les types les plus connus de pica étaient la géophagie (62,3 %) et l'ingestion de papier (31,2 %). La fréquence de l'anémie parmi les cas était plus élevée que chez les témoins, mais la différence n'était pas statistiquement significative. Le ratio de la capacité de fixation du fer sérique/fer total, inférieur ou égal à 0,15, ne différait pas significativement entre les deux groupes. Nous n'avons trouvé aucune association entre le pica et l'anémie et/ou les carences en fer (p > 0,05). ABSTRACT The aim of this case-control study was to determine the frequency of pica and its relationship with iron deficiency in children in Zanjan. We selected 872 children and determined the frequency of pica. We selected students who did not have pica of the same age and sex, and in the same class as our cases as a control group. Both groups were evaluated for iron deficiency anaemia. Among the 57 students (6.7%) who had pica, there was no significant relationship with sex (P > 0.05). The most common types of pica were soil (62.3%) and paper (31.2%). The frequency of anaemia among cases was greater than in controls, although the difference was not statistically significant. The serum iron/total iron binding capacity ratio ≤ 0.15 did not differ significantly between the 2 groups. We did not find any association between pica and anaemia and/or iron deficiency (P > 0.05). ‫ضابطة‬ ‫حالة‬ ‫دراسة‬ ‫اإلسالمية:‬ ‫إيران‬ ‫مجهورية‬ ‫زانجان،‬ ‫حمافظة‬ ‫يف‬ ‫األطفال‬ ‫يف‬ ‫احلديد‬ ‫ونقص‬ ‫البيكا‬ ‫بني‬ ‫العالقة‬‫املتوسط‬ ‫لرشق‬ ‫الصحية‬ ‫املجلة‬ ‫العرشون‬ ‫و‬ ‫الثالث‬ ‫املجلد‬ ‫السادس‬ ‫العدد‬ 405

Prevalence and associated factors of symptoms of pica among adolescent schoolchildren in northern Sudan: a cross-sectional study

“…Conversely, the prevalence of pica in our study was much higher than that reported among children in Ghana (9.1%) [ 6 ], Iran (6.7%) [ 7 ], Switzerland (10.0%) [ 8 ], Germany (12.3%) [ 16 ], Nepal (12.5%) [ 17 ], and France (0%) [ 32 ]. It should be noted that it could be difficult to assess the actual/true prevalence of pica because its definition varies, different methods are used to collect data, and some people may not report practicing pica or even do it secretly [ 19 ].…”

“…Our results showed that females had a 3.5 times higher risk of pica, consistent with previous reports showing that geophagy was more prevalent in girls (80.2%) than in boys 67.7%) in Zambia [ 14 ]. Conversely, a previous study showed no significant difference in gender and pica prevalence in Iran [ 7 ] and Germany [ 13 ]. In the current study, a lower level of father’s education was associated with pica (AOR = 2.05).…”

“…Likewise, Abu et al reported clay/soil/dust, paper, and chalk to be the most common materials consumed by children with pica in Ghana [ 33 ]. Sadeghzadeh et al found that soil (62.3%) and paper (31.2%) were the materials most consumed by children in Iran [ 7 ]. Eating clay, sand, and ice was the most commonly practiced form by pregnant women in Uganda [ 4 ].…”

The association of iron deficiency anaemia with simple febrile seizures in children less than 5 years age: A single centre, prospective, case-control study

“…Studies conducted by Shruti et al 25 and Gupta et al 26 also reported a statistically significant association between pica and IDA (p < 0.5). However, Sadeghzadeh et al did not find any association between pica and anaemia and/or iron deficiency (p > 0.05) 27 . This might be because pica is more a cultural behaviour than a result of iron deficiency.…”

Pica: Treatment with Punica Granatum extract

“…Its prevalence in Iran was reported in a case study at 6.5%, of which 63.2% were girls and 36.8% were boys. Soil and paper were the most common types of pica craving in this study (Sadeghzadeh et al, 2017).…”