Breath-holding spells occur disproportionately more often in children with transient erythroblastopenia.

AIM: This study aimed to evaluate the concomitant occurrence and possible association of breath-holding spells (BHS) and transient erythroblastopenia of childhood (TEC).

METHODS: This population-based cohort study, carried out in Southern Sweden from 2004 to 2014, included patients with BHS and/or anaemia, including TEC. The subjects were evaluated for the presence of all three conditions and the diagnostic workups, disease characteristics and outcome were analysed.

RESULTS: We studied 443 470 children under the age of 10 years during 2004-2014. The total cohort included 321 patients (0.07%) with BHS and 366 patients with a selection of anaemia diagnoses, including 41 with TEC. We found that nine (2.5%) of the 366 patients with anaemia diagnoses also had BHS and that five (12.2%) of the 41 patients with TEC also had BHS. Treatment for anaemia resolved BHS in a number of patients.

CONCLUSION: Our population-based analysis revealed an overrepresentation of BHS among children with TEC, and we identified five patients with concomitant TEC and BHS. We found that correcting anaemia was an effective means of ameliorating potentially debilitating BHS and that the presence of concomitant BHS and TEC was more common than previously assumed.