A 12-Year-old Girl With Chronic Pediculosis Infestation Presenting With Severe Iron Deficiency Anemia

Iron deficiency is the leading etiology of anemia worldwide. Excessive cow's milk intake and menorrhagia are the most common etiologies in the pediatric population in the United States, with parasitic infections a more common cause in lower-resource countries. Here we present a case of a 12-year-old female in the midwestern United States with severe iron deficiency anemia (hemoglobin 4.7 g/dL) and chronic pediculosis infestation. Anemia resolved with transfusion, iron supplementation, and eradication of the parasite. We believe this is the only reported case of a child in the United States with severe iron deficiency anemia secondary to chronic severe lice infestation.