Authors
Odike AI¹, Omokhodion SI², Akpede GO¹
Abstract
Heart failure is a common complication of anaemia in children. It is also an important cause of mortality in these children. Electrocardiography was used to study the heart of children presenting in Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital in anaemic heart failure.
Subject and Method: Consecutive patients with anaemia were recruited from the Paediatric Unit of Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital (ISTH), Irrua, Edo state, Nigeria between September and December 2009. Ninety four children (cases) aged 6 months to 16 years with anaemia (packed cell volume (PCV) <33%) and 94 age and sex-matched controls without anaemia (PCV ≥ 33%) were examined. Eleven patients (11.7% of the 94 anaemic cases) were in anaemic heart failure. Each case and control was assessed clinically following which the cardiovascular function was evaluated using electrocardiography. Data was analysed using the appropriate statistical test. P-values less than 0.05 were taken as indicative of statistical significance. Results: A total of 188 children were evaluated. Eleven patients were in anaemic heart failure. The prevalence of ECG abnormalities was 100% in the cases with anaemic heart failure as against 40.4% in the controls. This was statistically significant (p<0.0001). There was a statistically significant number of cases with sinus tachycardia (p=0.0001). Other abnormalities recorded were LVH, RVH, LQTC, ST segment depression and rSR conduction pattern.
Conclusions: The major effect caused by anaemic heart failure on the heart of children is sinus tachycardia.
Subject and Method: Consecutive patients with anaemia were recruited from the Paediatric Unit of Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital (ISTH), Irrua, Edo state, Nigeria between September and December 2009. Ninety four children (cases) aged 6 months to 16 years with anaemia (packed cell volume (PCV) <33%) and 94 age and sex-matched controls without anaemia (PCV ≥ 33%) were examined. Eleven patients (11.7% of the 94 anaemic cases) were in anaemic heart failure. Each case and control was assessed clinically following which the cardiovascular function was evaluated using electrocardiography. Data was analysed using the appropriate statistical test. P-values less than 0.05 were taken as indicative of statistical significance. Results: A total of 188 children were evaluated. Eleven patients were in anaemic heart failure. The prevalence of ECG abnormalities was 100% in the cases with anaemic heart failure as against 40.4% in the controls. This was statistically significant (p<0.0001). There was a statistically significant number of cases with sinus tachycardia (p=0.0001). Other abnormalities recorded were LVH, RVH, LQTC, ST segment depression and rSR conduction pattern.
Conclusions: The major effect caused by anaemic heart failure on the heart of children is sinus tachycardia.
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