Anaemia among school children of different socioeconomical status in a city of Southern Brazil.

Publisher: Taylor & Francis Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 0404024 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1464-5033 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 03014460 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Ann Hum Biol Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: 2015- : Abingdon, Oxford : Taylor & Francis
Original Publication: London, Taylor & Francis.

C-Reactive Protein* ; Anemia*/epidemiology ; Anemia*/etiology ; Ferrous Compounds*; Child ; Humans ; Female ; Brazil/epidemiology ; Ferritins

Background: Iron deficiency is one of the leading causes of anaemia, with those most affected being children and women of childbearing age, in Brazil there is a scarcity of studies involving the local prevalence of anaemia. Aim: To evaluate anaemia and associated factors in schoolchildren in Santa Cruz do Sul through the analysis of biochemical and haematological markers and parasitological examination of faeces. Subjects and methods: School children from 10 to 12 years of age were evaluated through complete blood count, serum ferritin, C-reactive protein and stool parasitological examination, as well as socio-demographic characteristics and prophylaxis with ferrous sulphate in childhood. Results: It was found that 13.0% of the population was anaemic, girls were very slightly overrepresented among the anaemic children. Only 5.3% had altered haematocrit levels; 26.6% had low Mean Corpuscular Volume levels; 18.4% had low ferritin levels; 2.4% had increased C-reactive protein levels, and 21.7% had altered eosinophils. As for the socioeconomic level, classes A2 and D presented lower haemoglobin levels, as well as class D presenting lower ferritin levels, although without statistical significance. Only 6.0% of the population presented iron-deficiency anaemia and 46.0% of the schoolchildren had used ferrous sulphate supplementation in childhood. Conclusion: The prevalence of anaemia in the studied municipality is low, probably due to the high municipal human development index. Epidemiological studies are essential to characterise the population in a systematic form, to prevent future problems.

Keywords: Anaemia; haematology; school children; socioeconomic status; supplementation

39R4TAN1VT (ferrous sulfate)
9007-41-4 (C-Reactive Protein)
9007-73-2 (Ferritins)
0 (Ferrous Compounds)

Date Created: 20240122 Date Completed: 20240123 Latest Revision: 20240123

20240123

10.1080/03014460.2023.2298473

38251840