Prevalence and severity of anemia among children and adolescent individuals of the age group of 0–18 years old

Abstract

Background: Since anemia is the most prevalent disorder in India, it got the significance to be studied and understood about. It is necessary to make people aware of the causes in certain age groups and genders, the preventive measures, and the importance of nutritional supplements, proper diet required to prevent anemia. Objective: The objective of this study is to study the prevalence and severity of anemia among children and adolescent individuals of the age group of 0–18 year old. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from October 2020 to March 2021 (6 months) using the data of 267 children and adolescent individuals (0–18 years old) visiting the laboratory for complete blood count (CBC) investigation in the Hematology Department of Chalmeda Anand Rao Institute of Medical Sciences, Karimnagar, Telangana, India. The type and severity of anemia were assessed based on red cell indices and hemoglobin (HGB) levels, respectively. Results: Most common red blood cell (RBC) morphology was microcytic hypochromic (109) and least being macrocytic morphology. The average age was the highest for microcytic hypochromic. Average HGB was the highest in normocytic normochromic (9.68 g%). Majority were in the age group of 10–18 years. There were 126 male participants and 141 female participants. Average Hb in males was around 8.49 g%; common RBC morphology was microcytic hypochromic. Out of the 267 participants, 37 were nonanemic, 70 mild, 50 moderate, 55 severe, and 55 life-threatening anemias. Moreover, the average ages being 9.31, 8.78, 9.51, 10.67, and 13.6 years, respectively. Conclusion: The female predominance of anemia between the ages of 10–18 could be attributed to initiation of menstrual cycles and microcytic hypochromic smears could be related to chronic iron deficient diet.