Haematological Indices and Serum Ferritin as Diagnostic Tools for Anaemia among Village Primary Pupils in Kaduna state, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Anaemia is one of the major public health issues worldwide. Children in the developing world are vulnerable to iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) and iron deficiency (ID) because they are rising at a fast pace and consume diets low in iron. This study aims at assessing the level of anaemia in children aged 6-12years in rural Nigeria, using hematological indices and serum ferritin as diagnostic tools. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study carried out in two primary schools in Kumin Masara Kataf village in Kaduna state on schoolchildren aged 6-12years. Data collected include personal information and laboratory data such as haemoglobin content, and serum ferritin to determine iron status. Data analysis was done using IBM-SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA version-25.0. Results: The overall mean haemoglobin was 10.11±1.02g/dl with 10.37±0.97g/dl and 10.02±1.02g/dl for children aged 10-12 and 6-9 years respectively (p=0.033). The overall serum ferritin was 15.37±4.87mg/L with 17.20±5.23mg/L among subjects aged 10- 12 and 14.72±4.58mg/L for 6-9 years (p=0.002). The prevalence of anaemia was 13.6%, IDA (50.3%), ID (30.9%), and iron depletion (5.8%). There was a significant difference between the prevalence of iron status according to age group (6- 9vs.10-12), P<0.05. Males had a higher prevalence of anaemia (69.2%) than females but females recorded a higher prevalence of IDA (51.6%) and ID (61.0%). Conclusion: This study found a high prevalence of IDA and ID among the rural schoolchildren in Nigeria. We recommend that healthcare providers should focus more on prevention of IDA at childhood rather than during pregnancy.