Fecal occult blood test in iron deficiency anemia
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Anemia prevalence in young children continues to remain over 70% in most parts of India and Asia despite a policy being in place and a program that has been initiated for a long time. The irreparable damage that anemia in childhood can cause particularly to the development of a young child on one hand and the knowledge and mechanism available for its control on the other, makes this silent morbidity completely unacceptable in modern times where we strive for millennium development Goal 4. This article reviews in detail the magnitude of child anemia and the mechanism for its occurrence, and deals, in detail, about what needs to be done, what difficulties we face, and how to overcome them, with the primary focus on iron-deficiency anemia (IDA).
Nutritional Deficiency Anemia in Children
The term ‘nutritional anemia’ encompasses all pathological conditions in which the blood hemoglobin concentration drops to an abnormally low level, due to a deficiency in one or several nutrients. The main nutrients involved in the synthesis of hemoglobin are iron, folic acid, and vitamin B12. In public health terms, iron deficiency is by far the first cause of nutritional anemia worldwide. Folic acid deficiency is less widespread and is often observed with iron deficiency. Vitamin B12 deficiency is far rarer. Therefore, the focus in this article is on Iron-deficiency anemia in children.
Worldwide, at any given moment, more individuals have iron-deficiency anemia than any other health problem.(1) Anemia is the most common morbidity among micronutrients and affects health, education, economy, and productivity of the entire nation. Anemia, like fever, is a manifestation and not a disease per se. The most common group among the causes for anemia is malnutrition and among that group, iron deficiency makes up the bulk of it. A large portion of iron deficiency is preventable with appropriate and timely intervention. Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional disorder in the world. The numbers are staggering: two billion people – over 30% of the world's population – are anemic, mainly due to iron deficiency; and in developing countries this figure is frequently exacerbated by malaria and worm infections.(2) Iron deficiency affects more people than any other condition, constituting a public health epidemic. It exerts the heaviest overall toll in terms of ill-health, premature death, and lost earnings. The effects of anemia on children are the most dire because their bodies are still developing, including the brain, which is the fastest developing organ in infancy and early childhood.
Nutritional Deficiency Anemia in Children
The term ‘nutritional anemia’ encompasses all pathological conditions in which the blood hemoglobin concentration drops to an abnormally low level, due to a deficiency in one or several nutrients. The main nutrients involved in the synthesis of hemoglobin are iron, folic acid, and vitamin B12. In public health terms, iron deficiency is by far the first cause of nutritional anemia worldwide. Folic acid deficiency is less widespread and is often observed with iron deficiency. Vitamin B12 deficiency is far rarer. Therefore, the focus in this article is on Iron-deficiency anemia in children.
Worldwide, at any given moment, more individuals have iron-deficiency anemia than any other health problem.(1) Anemia is the most common morbidity among micronutrients and affects health, education, economy, and productivity of the entire nation. Anemia, like fever, is a manifestation and not a disease per se. The most common group among the causes for anemia is malnutrition and among that group, iron deficiency makes up the bulk of it. A large portion of iron deficiency is preventable with appropriate and timely intervention. Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional disorder in the world. The numbers are staggering: two billion people – over 30% of the world's population – are anemic, mainly due to iron deficiency; and in developing countries this figure is frequently exacerbated by malaria and worm infections.(2) Iron deficiency affects more people than any other condition, constituting a public health epidemic. It exerts the heaviest overall toll in terms of ill-health, premature death, and lost earnings. The effects of anemia on children are the most dire because their bodies are still developing, including the brain, which is the fastest developing organ in infancy and early childhood.
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