Impact of Anemia on Mortality and Nutritional Recovery among Hospitalized Severely Malnourished Children in Burkina Faso

This study aimed to analyze the impact of anemia on mortality rate and nutritional recovery, during severely malnourished inpatient treatment. Material and Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study conducted from data of severely malnourished children hospitalized at a feeding the rapeutic center. Pearson’s Chi square test, General linear model, Mortality relatives risks, Kaplan-Meir survival curves have been used. Results: At admission, 85.3% of included malnourished children had anemia (Hb ≤ 11 g/dl) and 10.6% severe anemic (Hb 6 g/dl). Mortality rate did not differed significantly from severely malnourished children with anemia (12.4%) and without anemia (22.2%), p = 0.12. Kaplan Meir survival curves did not differed significantly between the two groups, (p Log Rank = 0.11). From admission to discharge, anthropometric Z-scores means evolution did not differed significantly between severely malnourished children with and without anemia at admission. But anthropometric Z-scores means evolution differed significantly within each group’s subjects: WHZ (between groups: p = 0.74; within subjects: p 0.001), and WAZ (between groups: p = 0.54; within subjects: p 0.001). Conclusion: With a strong respect of current recommendation of anemia treatment of inpatient severely malnutrition management, there is no increased mortality rate in SAM anemic group; and nutritional recovery is significant within subjects of SAM anemic and non anemic children, without difference between groups.