[Causes of anaemia in African children aged 5 to 10 years]

Abstract

This study was conducted among two groups of 105 children in a hospital in Yaoundé, Cameroon, to determine the causes of anaemia in children aged 5- 10-years-old. The study group included children presenting clinical evidence of anaemia while the control group was made of children without anaemia. Both sets of children were matched for neighbourhoods within the city of Yaoundé. Each child had a complete physical examination, full blood count, haemoglobin electrophoresis, reticulocyte counts, and stool samples examined for parasites and hemoparasites. The mean haemoglobin level was 7.77 +/- 1.54 g/dL in the study group and 12.37 +/- 1.23 in the control group. The anaemia was mainly normocytic, normochromic and regenerative in the study group, usually associated with evidence of haemolysis. Patients with homozygous sickle cell disease were found only in the study group (n = 13; 12.3%). Malaria parasites were noted in 89 children (84.7%) in the study group, compared with 34 (32.4%) in the control group (p = 0.0004). Prevalence of intestinal parasites was similar in both groups (50.8%). Protein-calorie malnutrition was rare and was not associated with anemia. We conclude that both malaria and sickle cell anaemia play an important role in anaemia in children aged 5-10 years.