Frequency of Iron Deficiency Anemia in Children Presenting with Pallor to Hayatabad Medical Complex Peshawar

Abstract

To determine the frequency of iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) in children who present with clinical pallor.The study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital, Hayatabad Medical Complex, between August 2018 and July 2022. We utilized laboratory information and took blood samples of 5ml to check for haemoglobin and ferritin levels. The criteria for IDA diagnosis were the presence of low haemoglobin levels (<11gm/dl) and low ferritin levels (<30ng/ml). The data were analyzed using SPSS version 26. The study contained 492 children (1 to 15 years).The total number of anaemic was 467 (94.9%) and Iron Deficiency Anemia was found to be present in 28.8% of the patients. Our study concludes that the frequency of iron deficiency is high in children presenting with pallor. Initiatives like National programs incorporating short-term measures like iron supplements and long-term ones like fortifying wheat flour could decrease the burden of IDA.