Abstract
BackgroundAnemia is a global health problem associated with short- and long-term consequences especially in children. The incidence of anemia along with the factors associated with its increased or decreased risk is not yet well studied in Lebanon. Our study aims at determining the demographics of this health burden and identifying some of the important factors linked to it among the pediatric population.MethodsA 4-months cross-sectional study was performed between August and November 2017 including 295 children aged 1 month to 12 years, who were hospitalized in a tertiary care hospital located in South Lebanon. We analyzed the different demographic data, age, gender, breast feeding duration, solid food introduction, iron supplementation and disease of diagnosis in association with multiple hematological parameters.ResultsThe prevalence of both mild and moderate anemia was 71.8 and 25.4%, with only 2 cases of severe anemia encountered among children aged 6 months or above. Results showed that the risk of anemia increases by around 3.4 folds among malnourished children than in well-nourished children. This risk also decreased by almost 42% in children receiving iron supplement.ConclusionIn consideration to the fact that anemia is a prevalent disease in the Lebanese childhood population, especially in infancy, simple preventive measures such as proper nutritional habits and supplementation of iron rich food to children are highly recommended and should be respected by public health providers.
Highlights
Worldwide, one of the major public health concerns is anemia, especially among children
A 4-months cross-sectional study was performed between August and November 2017 including 295 children aged 1 month to 12 years, who were hospitalized in a tertiary care hospital located in South Lebanon
Anemia is a multifactorial clinical disease contributed to inappropriate nutritional habits and poor supplementation of essential factors involved in the production of red blood cells, some parasitic infestations, chronic inflammatory diseases, genetic predisposition, etc [7]
Summary
One of the major public health concerns is anemia, especially among children. As estimated by the World Health Organization (WHO), about 1.62 billion people suffer from anemia globally, out of which approximately 50% affect preschool-age children (highest prevalence) [2,3,4]. Iron deficiency and its associated anemia are more common among children, those on poor diets, people with intestinal parasitic diseases, and women of childbearing age [5]. Parasitic infections are more common in developing countries and frequently instigate microcytic anemias via iron deficiency and depletion that is mainly attributed to the blood loss from gastrointestinal infections [8, 9]. Anemia is a global health problem associated with short- and long-term consequences especially in children. Our study aims at determining the demographics of this health burden and identifying some of the important factors linked to it among the pediatric population
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call