Back
Full-text
Journal article

The Proportion of Anemia Associated with Iron Deficiency in Low, Medium, and High Human Development Index Countries: A Systematic Analysis of National Surveys.

  • Petry N GroundWork, Fläsch 7306, Switzerland. nico@groundworkhealth.org.
  • Olofin I GroundWork, Fläsch 7306, Switzerland. ioo523@mail.harvard.edu.
  • Hurrell RF Laboratory of Human Nutrition, Institute of Food, Nutrition, and Health, ETH Zurich, Zurich 8092, Switzerland. richard.hurrell@hest.ethz.ch.
  • Boy E Harvest Plus, International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington, DC 20006, USA. E.Boy@cgiar.org.
  • Wirth JP GroundWork, Fläsch 7306, Switzerland. james@groundworkhealth.org.
  • Moursi M Harvest Plus, International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington, DC 20006, USA. m.moursi@cgiar.org.
  • Donahue Angel M Harvest Plus, International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington, DC 20006, USA. m.angel@cgiar.org.
  • Rohner F GroundWork, Fläsch 7306, Switzerland. fabian@groundworkhealth.org.
Show more…
  • 2016-11-10
Published in:
  • Nutrients. - 2016
anemia
determinants of anemia
iron deficiency
iron deficiency anemia
Adolescent
Adult
Age Distribution
Anemia, Iron-Deficiency
Biomarkers
Child
Child, Preschool
Developed Countries
Developing Countries
Female
Health Status
Humans
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Inflammation
Iron
Male
Middle Aged
Prevalence
Risk Factors
Sex Distribution
Young Adult
English Iron deficiency is commonly assumed to cause half of all cases of anemias, with hereditary blood disorders and infections such as hookworm and malaria being the other major causes. In countries ranked as low, medium, and high by the Human Development Index, we conducted a systematic review of nationally representative surveys that reported the prevalence of iron deficiency, iron deficiency anemia, and anemia among pre-school children and non-pregnant women of reproductive age. Using random effects meta-analyses techniques, data from 23 countries for pre-school children and non-pregnant women of reproductive age was pooled, and the proportion of anemia attributable to iron deficiency was estimated by region, inflammation exposure, anemia prevalence, and urban/rural setting. For pre-school children and non-pregnant women of reproductive age, the proportion of anemia associated with iron deficiency was 25.0% (95% CI: 18.0, 32.0) and 37.0% (95% CI: 28.0, 46.0), respectively. The proportion of anemia associated with iron deficiency was lower in countries where anemia prevalence was >40%, especially in rural populations (14% for pre-school children; 16% for non-pregnant women of reproductive age), and in countries with very high inflammation exposure (20% for pre-school children; 25% for non-pregnant women of reproductive age). Despite large heterogeneity, our analyses suggest that the proportion of anemia associated with iron deficiency is lower than the previously assumed 50% in countries with low, medium, or high Human Development Index ranking. Anemia-reduction strategies and programs should be based on an analysis of country-specific data, as iron deficiency may not always be the key determinant of anemia.
Language
  • English
Open access status
gold
Identifiers
Persistent URL
https://sonar.ch/global/documents/168191
Statistics
Document views: 647 File downloads:
  • Full-text: 0