ANALYSIS OF ST SEGMENT CHANGES IN PATIENTS OF SEVERE IRON DEFICIENCY ANEMIA BELONGING TO SOUTH REGION OF BIHAR STATE: A CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY

Abstract

Anemia is one of the commonest blood disorders with a significant degree of morbidity and mortality. It has multi factorial etiology with iron deficiency being the most common cause contributing around 50% of the World’s total anemia burden. Prevalence is significantly high in people of low socio economic groups with preponderance in female gender. Irrespective of the causes, iron deficiency anemia results into low hemoglobin in the blood which ultimately decreases oxygen delivery to the body tissues. This adversely affects the cardiovascular hemodynamics putting extra workload on heart. If anemia persists for longer duration, various structural and functional changes take place in the heart. These changes are thereby depicted in Electrocardiographic (ECG) recordings. Studies have shown that including many changes in ECG recordings of patients with iron deficiency anemia, ST segment changes in the form of ST segment depression are important findings. As the people belonging to south region of Bihar state come from low socioeconomic group and are at nutritionally deprived condition, they are very much vulnerable to suffer from iron deficiency anemia. The present study was aimed to observe ST segment changes in patients of severe iron deficiency anemia from this region. 160 subjects were included in our study satisfying the inclusion criteria, out of which 150 subjects finally completed the study (65 males and 85 females). A total of 70 patients (46.67%) were having Hb concentration levels less than 8.0 g/dl and they fell in the severe or very severe grade of anemia. We found in our study that 38 subjects i.e. 25.33% (n = 150) had ST segment depression as one of the various ECG changes. We also observed that these changes were directly correlated with the severity of iron deficiency anemia. We concluded from our study that cardiac ischemia was resulted in the patients of iron deficiency anemia which was ascribed in the form of ST segment depression in ECG recordings. Specific and emergent measures must be taken to deal with iron deficiency anemia in order to mitigate its deleterious effects on cardiovascular health.