Anemia: Prevalence and Characteristics Among Koranic School Children in Dakar, Senegal

Abstract

Background and objectives: Anemia are highly prevalent among two billion people in the world. It affects especially low-middle income countries where prevalence of 50% are found in children under 4 years old and 45% in school children. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of anemia and iron deficiency among children in Koranic schools. Materials and methods: We led a retrospective, cross-sectional study, from January 2018 to October 2018, conducted in some Koranic schools of Dakar (Capital of Senegal) and at Hematology and Biochemistry departments of Aristide Le Dantec Hospital. Statistical analysis of the data was performed using SPSS software (version 20). Results: Our sample contained 833 boarders from Koranic schools in the urban and semi-urban areas of Dakar, aged between 3 and 15 years and predominantly male. Asthenia was the most common sign found in 44.7% followed by perleche and pruritus in respectively 37.8% and 20.8% of cases. Out of 833 Koranic school residents, 98 had a hemoglobin level below the WHO threshold, accounting for a prevalence of anemia at 11.76%. The anemia was mild in the majority of cases (60.2%) and severe in only 2.04% of cases. The risk of anemia did not depend on the age or sex of the child, but its severity was significantly associated with the female sex (p = 0.019). The anemia found in the children was predominantly hypochromic microcytic (67.3%). Serum iron and Ferritinemia performed in 54 of the 66 cases of microcytic anemia showed iron deficiency anemia in 59.26% of cases and inflammatory anemia or hemoglobinopathy in the other cases of microcytic anemia. Conclusion: At the end of this study, we found a prevalence of anemia of about 11.76% among children in Koranic schools in the Dakar region. This shows that anemia is still a public health concern.