Anemia in Asian children: trends in the prevalence, etiology and analysis of geographic inequalities

Nowaj Sharif^{1

2}, Ahmad Neyazi^{3

4

5}, Mahalaqua Nazli Khatib⁶, Lalji Baldaniya⁷, Suhas Ballal⁸, V Kavita⁹, Laxmidhar Maharana¹⁰, Renu Arya¹¹, Ganesh Bushi^{12

13}, Muhammed Shabil^{14

15}, Rukshar Syed¹⁶, Manika Gupta¹⁷, Sunil Kumar^{18

19}, Sabah Ansar²⁰, Sanjit Sah^{21

22

23}, Diptismita Jena^{24

25}, Prakasini Satapathy²⁶

Affiliations

¹ University Center for Research and Development, Chandigarh University, Mohali, Punjab, India.
² Faculty of Data Science and Information Technology, INTI International University, Nilai, Malaysia.
³ Afghanistan Center for Epidemiological Studies, Herat, Afghanistan. neyazi.a@aces-af.org.
⁴ Faculty of Medicine, Kabul University of Medical Sciences, Kabul, Afghanistan. neyazi.a@aces-af.org.
⁵ Scientific Research Committee, Afghanistan Medical Students Association, Herat, Afghanistan. neyazi.a@aces-af.org.
⁶ Division of Evidence Synthesis, Global Consortium of Public Health and Research, Datta Meghe Institute of Higher Education, Wardha, India. nazlikhatib@dmiher.edu.in.
⁷ Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Marwadi University Research Center, Marwadi University, Rajkot, Gujarat, 360003, India.
⁸ Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, School of Sciences, JAIN (Deemed to Be University), Bangalore, Karnataka, India.
⁹ Department of Chemistry, Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
¹⁰ Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Siksha 'O' Anusandhan (Deemed to Be University), Bhubaneswar, Odisha, 751030, India.
¹¹ Department of Pharmacy, Chandigarh Pharmacy College, Chandigarh Group of Colleges-Jhanjeri, Mohali, Punjab, 140307, India.
¹² Chitkara Centre for Research and Development, Chitkara University Institute of Engineering and Technology, Chitkara University, Baddi, Himachal Pradesh, 174103, India.
¹³ School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, India.
¹⁴ Noida Institute of Engineering and Technology (Pharmacy Institute), Greater Noida, India.
¹⁵ Medical Laboratories Techniques Department, AL-Mustaqbal University, 51001, Hillah, Babil, Iraq.
¹⁶ IES Institute of Pharmacy, IES University, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, 462044, India.
¹⁷ New Delhi Institute of Management, Tughlakabad Institutional Area, New Delhi, India.
¹⁸ Department of Microbiology, Graphic Era (Deemed to Be University), Clement Town, Dehradun-248002, India.
¹⁹ Graphic Era Hill University, Clement Town, Dehradun, India.
²⁰ Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 10219, 11433, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
²¹ Department of Paediatrics, Dr. D. Y. Patil Medical College Hospital and Research Centre, Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth (Deemed-to-Be-University), Pimpri, 411018, Maharashtra, India.
²² Department of Public Health Dentistry, Dr. D. Y. Patil Medical College Hospital and Research Centre, Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth (Deemed-to-Be-University), Pimpri, 411018, Maharashtra, India.
²³ Department of Medicine, Korea Universtiy, Seoul, South Korea.
²⁴ Centre Centre for Research Impact and Outcome, Chitkara University Institute of Engineering and Technology, Chitkara University, Rajpura, 140401, Punjab, India.
²⁵ Division of Research and Innovation, Uttaranchal University, Dehradun, India.
²⁶ Center for Global Health Research, Saveetha Medical College and Hospital, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai, India. prakasini.satapathy@gmail.com.

PMID: 40257723
DOI: 10.1007/s12519-025-00897-4

Anemia in Asian children: trends in the prevalence, etiology and analysis of geographic inequalities

Nowaj Sharif et al. World J Pediatr. 2025 Apr.

. 2025 Apr;21(4):396-405.

doi: 10.1007/s12519-025-00897-4. Epub 2025 Apr 21.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ University Center for Research and Development, Chandigarh University, Mohali, Punjab, India.
² Faculty of Data Science and Information Technology, INTI International University, Nilai, Malaysia.
³ Afghanistan Center for Epidemiological Studies, Herat, Afghanistan. neyazi.a@aces-af.org.
⁴ Faculty of Medicine, Kabul University of Medical Sciences, Kabul, Afghanistan. neyazi.a@aces-af.org.
⁵ Scientific Research Committee, Afghanistan Medical Students Association, Herat, Afghanistan. neyazi.a@aces-af.org.
⁶ Division of Evidence Synthesis, Global Consortium of Public Health and Research, Datta Meghe Institute of Higher Education, Wardha, India. nazlikhatib@dmiher.edu.in.
⁷ Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Marwadi University Research Center, Marwadi University, Rajkot, Gujarat, 360003, India.
⁸ Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, School of Sciences, JAIN (Deemed to Be University), Bangalore, Karnataka, India.
⁹ Department of Chemistry, Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
¹⁰ Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Siksha 'O' Anusandhan (Deemed to Be University), Bhubaneswar, Odisha, 751030, India.
¹¹ Department of Pharmacy, Chandigarh Pharmacy College, Chandigarh Group of Colleges-Jhanjeri, Mohali, Punjab, 140307, India.
¹² Chitkara Centre for Research and Development, Chitkara University Institute of Engineering and Technology, Chitkara University, Baddi, Himachal Pradesh, 174103, India.
¹³ School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, India.
¹⁴ Noida Institute of Engineering and Technology (Pharmacy Institute), Greater Noida, India.
¹⁵ Medical Laboratories Techniques Department, AL-Mustaqbal University, 51001, Hillah, Babil, Iraq.
¹⁶ IES Institute of Pharmacy, IES University, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, 462044, India.
¹⁷ New Delhi Institute of Management, Tughlakabad Institutional Area, New Delhi, India.
¹⁸ Department of Microbiology, Graphic Era (Deemed to Be University), Clement Town, Dehradun-248002, India.
¹⁹ Graphic Era Hill University, Clement Town, Dehradun, India.
²⁰ Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 10219, 11433, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
²¹ Department of Paediatrics, Dr. D. Y. Patil Medical College Hospital and Research Centre, Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth (Deemed-to-Be-University), Pimpri, 411018, Maharashtra, India.
²² Department of Public Health Dentistry, Dr. D. Y. Patil Medical College Hospital and Research Centre, Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth (Deemed-to-Be-University), Pimpri, 411018, Maharashtra, India.
²³ Department of Medicine, Korea Universtiy, Seoul, South Korea.
²⁴ Centre Centre for Research Impact and Outcome, Chitkara University Institute of Engineering and Technology, Chitkara University, Rajpura, 140401, Punjab, India.
²⁵ Division of Research and Innovation, Uttaranchal University, Dehradun, India.
²⁶ Center for Global Health Research, Saveetha Medical College and Hospital, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai, India. prakasini.satapathy@gmail.com.

PMID: 40257723
DOI: 10.1007/s12519-025-00897-4

Abstract

Background: Pediatric anemia is a pervasive public health issue in Asia, significantly impairing children's growth, cognitive development, and future potential. This study evaluates trends, prevalence, and socio-economic disparities of pediatric anemia across Asia from 1990 to 2021, leveraging data from the Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) 2021 study.

Methods: Using estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) and Pearson's correlation coefficient, geographic variations and temporal trends were analysed alongside associations between prevalence, years lived with disability (YLDs), and Socio-demographic index (SDI).

Results: The study reveals a modest overall decline in anemia prevalence by 11.9%, from 464.53 million cases in 1990 to 409.07 million in 2021. High-SDI regions such as East Asia achieved significant reductions (- 71.36%), with countries like Singapore, the Republic of Korea, Seychelles, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) showing substantial progress. In stark contrast, low-SDI countries, including Yemen (108.34%) and Afghanistan (130.28%), along with Cambodia, India, and Pakistan, experienced alarming increases. Dietary iron deficiency was the dominant cause, followed by hemoglobinopathies and neglected tropical diseases. Females, particularly adolescents, and children under five faced disproportionate burdens, with prevalence rates in low-SDI regions exceeding 47,000 per 100,000 compared to < 10,000 per 100,000 in high-SDI areas.

Conclusions: These findings emphasize profound regional and socio-economic inequalities in anemia burden. Urgent, evidence-based interventions are imperative, focusing on enhancing nutrition, expanding healthcare access, and integrating sex-sensitive strategies to address this multifaceted issue. Strengthened policies and targeted actions are critical to mitigating the burden and fostering health equity, particularly in vulnerable low-SDI regions.

Keywords: Dietary iron deficiency; Health equity in Asia; Pediatric anemia; Prevalence; Socio-economic disparities; YLDs.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Conflict of interest: No financial or non-financial benefits have been received or will be received from any party related directly or indirectly to the subject of this article. Ethical approval: This study was exempt from the ethical review approval because we used publicly available de-identified data.

References

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Anemia in Asian children: trends in the prevalence, etiology and analysis of geographic inequalities

Affiliations

Anemia in Asian children: trends in the prevalence, etiology and analysis of geographic inequalities

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

References

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

Medical