IRON DEFICIENCY — A WIDESPREAD CAUSE OF ANAEMIA IN COASTAL AREAS OF NEW GUINEA

Abstract

This investigation is concerned with a study of hæmoglobin values for New Guinea subjects residing in the coastal areas of the New Guinea Island region. A longitudinal hæmoglobin survey of ten years in the Kieta area of Bougainville Island revealed that 21·47% of the unselected village population examined were anæmic. The percentage of anæmic subjects and the mean hæmoglobin value during the ten-year period from 1955 to 1965 in this area have remained static, showing only a slight increase in the number of the affected subjects in the 1965 survey. The last survey included also a larger number of children aged under two years who had not been included in the 1955 and 1960 hæmoglobin surveys. Hæmoglobin estimations of cord blood samples at Rabaul showed that the mean value is significantly lower than that observed in the Australian population. Daily hæmoglobin estimations on newborn babies revealed that this also was significantly lower than in the Australian population for which the data were available from the literature. Further observations showed that, by the end of the second month of life, the New Guinean baby became anæmic and remained in this state up to the end of the second year. Results are also reported of investigations of mean hæmoglobin values of pregnant females, serum iron estimations on samples obtained from pregnant and lactating females, and estimations of serum iron and folic acid levels and total iron binding capacity of a small number of anæmic pregnant females. Liver storage iron estimations revealed that the New Guinean has one of the lowest liver storage iron concentrations amongst the world populations thus far investigated. The pathogenesis of iron deficiency in coastal New Guineans is discussed and a plea made for liberal and widespread oral iron therapy for the general village population.