A STUDY OF PREVALENCE OF ANEMIA IN PAEDIATRIC POPULATION IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL
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Keywords
Anemia, Pediatrics, Prevalence, Severity, Morphology
Abstract
Anemia is one of the most common nutritional disorders in the pediatric population, particularly in developing countries like India. It contributes significantly to impaired growth, delayed psychomotor development, reduced scholastic performance, and increased susceptibility to infections. Estimating its prevalence and identifying the common patterns in hospital settings can help formulate targeted preventive and management strategies.
Objectives:To determine the prevalence of anemia in children aged 6 months to 18 years attending a tertiary care hospital.
- To analyze the distribution of anemia according to age and sex.
- To assess the severity and morphological types of anemia in the study population.
Materials and Methods: This hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted over a period of 12 months in the Department of Pediatrics, at a tertiary care center. A total of 300 children aged 6 months to 18 years attending the outpatient and inpatient departments were included after applying inclusion and exclusion criteria. Hemoglobin estimation was performed using an automated hematology analyzer, and peripheral smear was examined for morphological classification. Anemia was defined and graded according to WHO criteria. Data were tabulated and analyzed using descriptive statistics.
Results: The prevalence of anemia among the study population was 56%. Anemia was more common in females (61.9%) compared to males (49.7%). The highest prevalence was observed in the 11–15 years age group (28.3%), with adolescent girls showing the maximum burden. With respect to severity, moderate anemia (44%) was most frequent, followed by mild anemia (42.9%) and severe anemia (13.1%). Morphological classification showed that microcytic hypochromic anemia (62.5%) was the predominant type, followed by normocytic normochromic anemia (24.4%) and dimorphic anemia (13.1%).
Conclusion: Anemia is highly prevalent among the pediatric population, especially in adolescents and females, reflecting the need for early detection and intervention. Public health measures such as routine screening, nutritional supplementation, and health education should be strengthened to reduce the burden of pediatric anemia.
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Dr. Dharmanand Reddy Devareddy
Assistant Professor, Department of Paediatrics, Prathima Institute of Medical Sciences, Karimnagar, Telangana
Dr. Rudra Gouda
Assistant Professor, Department of Paediatrics, Prathima Institute of Medical Sciences, Karimnagar, Telangana