Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Sep;36(9):1067-70.
doi: 10.15537/smj.2015.9.11844.

High prevalence of iron deficiency anemia in infants attending a well-baby clinic in northwestern Saudi Arabia

Zakaria M Al Hawsawi  1 , Sami A Al-Rehali, Amani M Mahros, Ali M Al-Sisi, Khalid D Al-Harbi, Ahmed M Yousef
Affiliations

High prevalence of iron deficiency anemia in infants attending a well-baby clinic in northwestern Saudi Arabia

Zakaria M Al Hawsawi et al. Saudi Med J. 2015 Sep.

Abstract

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in infants aged 6-24 months attending the well-baby clinic in primary health care centers (PHCCs).

Methods: This cross-sectional epidemiological study was conducted in the Northwestern region of Saudi Arabia from April 2013 to January 2014 in 5 randomly selected PHCCs. The sample size comprised 500 infants, with 100 infants screened from each PHCC. Blood samples were obtained for estimation of hemoglobin and serum ferritin levels.

Results: Out of 500 infants, 246 (49%) cases had IDA with a mean age of 15.4 ± 6.5 months, with 130 (53%) males, and 116 (47%) females (p=0367). Out of 274 Saudi infants, 126 (51%) cases were diagnosed as IDA.

Conclusion: Iron deficiency anemia is very common in Saudi infants aged 6-24 months. A national program directed for primary prevention and early discovery of IDA in Saudi infants is recommended at PHCCs system. Iron supplementation is to be given at early infancy with universal screening of hemoglobin and ferritin estimation to all infants at 12 months of age.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment in

References

    1. Yip R. The epidemiology of childhood iron deficiency: Evidence for improving iron nutrition among US children. In: Dobbing J, editor. Brain, behavior and iron in the infant diet. Virginia (USA): Springer-Verlag; 1992. pp. 27–39.
    1. Cook JD, Skirne BS, Baynes RD. Iron deficiency: the global perspective. Adv Exp Med Biol. 1994;356:219–228. - PubMed
    1. Lozoff B, Jimenez E, Smith JB. Double burden of iron deficiency in infancy and low socioeconomic status: a longitudinal analysis of cognitive test scores to age 19 years. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2006;160:1108–1113. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bruner AB, Joffe A, Duggan AK, Casella JF, Brandt J. Randomized study of cognitive effects of iron supplementation in non-anaemic iron-deficient adolescent girls. Lancet. 1996;348:992–996. - PubMed
    1. Burden M, Westerlund A, Armony-Sivan R, Nelson C, Jacobson S, Lozoff B, et al. An event related potential study of attention and recognition memory in infants with iron deficiency anemia. Pediatrics. 2007;120:336–345. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources