Iron Deficiency Anemia in Children Under One Year of Age

Abstract

Objective: To determine the association of Iron Deficiency Anemia with demographic factors in children under one year of age.

Study design: Cross-sectional study.

Place and Duration of Study: Pak Emirates Medical Hospital, Rawalpindi Pakistan from Jan to Oct 2020.

Methodology: All children of less than one year of age, of either gender who attended Out Patient Department with the complaint of acute illness like upper respiratory tract infections were consecutively enrolled. The detailed analysis for haematological parameters, means corpuscular volume <70 fl, serum ferritin <30 mcg/L, and transferrin saturation <16% were performed.

Results: Of three hundred and fifty-four children, the frequency of Iron Deficiency Anemia was found to be in 200(56.5%). The frequency of Iron Deficiency Anemia in children more than 8 months of age was higher (70.6%) in comparison to children less than 8 months of age (29.4%). Multiple variables were found to significantly contribute to Iron Deficiency Anemia, the father's educational status, the mother's educational status and socioeconomic status. At the same time, Iron Deficiency Anemia was significantly lower among children with first or second childbirth orders and in breastfed infants.

Conclusion: A higher proportion of Iron Deficiency Anemia was noted among children under one-year-old who complained of acute illness.