Prevalence and risk factors for anemia, iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia among female children and adolescents in Vientiane, Lao People’s Democratic Republic

Abstract

Anemia, the most common hematologic disorder, is highly prevalent in developing countries. High risk groups include pregnant women, preschool children and adolescents. It is generally believed that iron deficiency is the main cause. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of anemia, iron deficiency (ID) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) and determine the relationship between social and health statuses with anemia and iron deficiency in female children and adolescents in Vientiane capital city, Lao PDR. Study populations comprised 308 students aged 9-16 years from 3 schools in Vientiane capital city. Data regarding social and health statuses were collected by face-to-face interview. Blood samples were collected to investigate hemoglobin concentration and serum ferritin. The mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and DCIP test were used to screen individual with thalassemia. Of the 308 students, 64 (20.8 %) had anemia, 22 (7.1 %) had ID, and 9 (2.9 %) had IDA. Using Chi-square test, it was found that the result of thalassemia screening and ID were associated significantly with anemia. Having menstruation was also associated significantly with ID. It was found that almost all anemic students (98.4 %) were positive for thalassemia screening. The results indicate that the prevalence of anemia, ID and IDA among Laotian children and adolescents is not as high as expected, and ID appears not to be the main cause of anemia. Further study regarding other causes of anemia should be carried out in order to implement the effective prevention and control measures.