Ayşenur Bahadir1, Elif Sag2, Murat Çakır2, Erol Erduran3. 1. Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon, Turkey. aysenurkbr@yahoo.com. 2. Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine, Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon, Turkey. 3. Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon, Turkey.
Abstract
AIM: The present study assesses the diagnostic significance of low ferritin levels in gastrointestinal diseases by evaluating the endoscopic findings of patients with low ferritin levels without anemia. METHOD: The study included patients aged 0-18 years who underwent an upper and lower gastrointestinal system endoscopy in the Pediatric Gastroenterology Department of our hospital. The patients were divided into three groups based on hemoglobin, and ferritin levels at the time of initial presentation and endoscopic and histopathological findings were recorded retrospectively. RESULTS: In the present study, 2391 pediatric patients were reviewed, among which 29% (n = 699) had anemia, 23% (n = 549) had low ferritin levels without anemia, and 48% (n = 1143) did not have anemia. The most common symptoms were abdominal pain, dyspepsia, and growth retardation. When the endoscopy findings were compared with those of patients with non-anemic group, Helicobacter pylori gastritis (24%/17.6%) and celiac disease (6%/2.2%) were more common in low ferritin levels without anemia, which indicated a statistically significant difference (p = 0.000/p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Helicobacter pylori gastritis and celiac disease were more commonly observed in association with low ferritin levels. Low ferritin levels without anemia can be an early and silent sign of celiac disease.
AIM: The present study assesses the diagnostic significance of low ferritin levels in gastrointestinal diseases by evaluating the endoscopic findings of patients with low ferritin levels without anemia. METHOD: The study included patients aged 0-18 years who underwent an upper and lower gastrointestinal system endoscopy in the Pediatric Gastroenterology Department of our hospital. The patients were divided into three groups based on hemoglobin, and ferritin levels at the time of initial presentation and endoscopic and histopathological findings were recorded retrospectively. RESULTS: In the present study, 2391 pediatric patients were reviewed, among which 29% (n = 699) had anemia, 23% (n = 549) had low ferritin levels without anemia, and 48% (n = 1143) did not have anemia. The most common symptoms were abdominal pain, dyspepsia, and growth retardation. When the endoscopy findings were compared with those of patients with non-anemic group, Helicobacter pylori gastritis (24%/17.6%) and celiac disease (6%/2.2%) were more common in low ferritin levels without anemia, which indicated a statistically significant difference (p = 0.000/p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Helicobacter pylori gastritis and celiac disease were more commonly observed in association with low ferritin levels. Low ferritin levels without anemia can be an early and silent sign of celiac disease.
Authors: Andrea Tringali; Mike Thomson; Jean-Marc Dumonceau; Marta Tavares; Merit M Tabbers; Raoul Furlano; Manon Spaander; Cesare Hassan; Christos Tzvinikos; Hanneke Ijsselstijn; Jérôme Viala; Luigi Dall'Oglio; Marc Benninga; Rok Orel; Yvan Vandenplas; Radan Keil; Claudio Romano; Eva Brownstone; Štěpán Hlava; Patrick Gerner; Werner Dolak; Rosario Landi; Wolf Dietrich Huber; Simon Everett; Andreas Vecsei; Lars Aabakken; Jorge Amil-Dias; Alessandro Zambelli Journal: Endoscopy Date: 2016-09-12 Impact factor: 10.093