FEATURES OF SYMPTOM COMPLEXES IN PRESCHOOL CHILDREN WITH ANEMIA

Abstract

Relevance. Anemia in preschool children remains one of the major medical and social problems in pediatrics, affecting physical and cognitive development, resistance to infections, and the formation of chronic pathologies (Ibragimova et al., 2020; Rakhimova et al., 2021). Latent asymptomatic anemia associated with vitamin and trace element deficiency is most commonly observed in children aged 3 to 7 years. Objective. To study the characteristics of clinical symptom complexes in preschool children with anemia of varying severity. Materials and Methods. The study involved 50 children aged 3–7 years diagnosed with community-acquired pneumonia. All patients were observed and treated in the Pulmonology Department of Campus-2 Clinic, Tashkent State Medical University. Results. Clinical and laboratory data of 50 preschool children with varying degrees of anemia were analyzed. Among them, 28 (56%) were boys and 22 (44%) were girls. The mean age was 3.5 ± 1.3 years. In the 3–4 year group, boys accounted for 58.6%, girls — 41.4%; in the 5–7 year group, boys — 65.5%, girls — 34.5%. According to medical records and maternal history, 34.5% of children were born full-term with a birth weight of 3050 ± 53 g; 25.6% were preterm (≈2010 ± 25.6 g), and 25.3% were low birth weight (900 ± 180 g). Anemia in preschool children was most frequent at 3–4 years of age, associated with a high incidence of infectious diseases and adaptive stress related to attending preschool institutions. As anemia severity increased (from grade I to II), a statistically significant (p < 0.01) decrease in protein and vitamin D. The high prevalence of clinical symptoms (hair and nail growth disorders, skin manifestations, decreased appetite) confirms the systemic nature of the anemic syndrome. Conclusion. Anemia in preschool children occurs most frequently between 3 and 4 years of age, linked to increased infection rates and adaptive stress during preschool attendance. With increasing severity of anemia, there is a statistically significant (p < 0.01) decline protein and vitamin D. The widespread clinical symptoms underline the systemic nature of anemia and emphasize the importance of early screening and correction of deficiency states in preschool children to prevent chronic pathologies.