Original Articles
A Prospective Analytical Study On Anemia among Adolescents attending the Pediatric department of a Tertiary care hospital | |
Dr. Divya Parwani, Dr. Lalit Prakash Mali, Dr. Shilpi Jain, Dr. Mamta Bajad, Dr. Kirti Modi | |
Introduction: Adolescent growth spurt results in 15% increase in iron requirements and girls being the most vulnerable. Nutritional anemia may be defined as a low hemoglobin concentration due to deficiencies in hemopoietic nutrients such as iron, folate, and vitamin B12. Aims and Objectives: To study the etiology, clinicohematological profile and epidemiological features and spectrum of adolescents with anemia. and the objective is (i) to determine the epidemiological features of study subjects (ii) to evaluate the clinical signs and symptoms in anemic adolescents (iii) to find the etiology of anemia in these cases. Material and Methods: A prospective analytical study on 200 children below 18 years of age come to Department of Pediatrics JLN Medical College & Hospital, Ajmer, from03.11.2023 to July 2024. All adolescents visited in OPD or admitted to pediatric ward with anemia were included. Patients not giving consent for the study and critically ill patients admitted in PICU where samples were not possible to get collected were excluded. Results: The percentage distribution of anemia was maximum (46%) in 13-15 years age. The mean age was 14.29+2.13 years. Female adolescents predominated, constituting76%. Mild anemia predominated in upper to lower-middle socioeconomic classes (I-III), while moderate anemia in upper-lower and lower classes (IV-V). Severe anemia remained relatively uncommon across all socioeconomic classes (7.5-11.25%). Mild (44.6%), moderate (45.95%), and severe (9.4%) anemia prevalence showed minimal gender differences. Microcytic anemia predominates in 10-12 (48.1%) year-olds, while macrocytic anemia in 13-15 year-olds (41.3%). The main etiologies were nutritional deficiencies (Vitamin B12/folate: 47.5%, iron deficiency: 46.5%) and mixed/dimorphic anemia (13%), with chronic disease, hemorrhage and infections contributing to normocytic anemia. Conclusion: Anemia prevalence was higher in adolescents from low socioeconomic backgrounds, particularly females, due to dietary deficiencies and menstrual blood loss. Supplementing iron, folic acid, and vitamin B12, along with dietary diversification, is recommended to reduce anemia prevalence. |
|
Html View | Download PDF | Current Issue |
IJLBPR
322 Parlount Road Slough Berkshire SL3 8AX, UK
ijlbpr@gmail.com
© IJLBPR. All Rights Reserved.