شيوع فقر آهن و كم خوني ناشي از آن در دختران دانش آموزان مدارس راهنمايي شهرسازي در سال 1381

The prevalence of iron deficiency related anemia in guid school students in Sari, 2002- 2003

Background and purpose: Iron deficiency anemia (I.D.A) is the most common nutritional deficiency in the world and Iran. There is a particular concern about the consequences of this disease in girls such as learning difficulties. This study was done to appraise the prevalence of I.D.A. in guid schools in Sari. Materials and methods: In this descriptive study, 920 students were selected in a random multi-stage method. After explanation and obtaining permission, demographic information were asked and registered. Then 7 cc blood was collected from each subject to determin the CBC, PBS, serum iron, TIBC and serum ferritin. The tests were performed in a standard condition and percentage of transferrin saturation (TS) was calculated. The students with Hb of below 11.5 gr/dl or Hct lower than 34% were categorized as anemic and those with TS below 16% or ferritin bellow 12 mg.dl as iron deficiency. Students who had both criteria of iron deficiency and anemia diagnosed as I.D.A. The minimum and maximum prevalence were calculated with 95% confidence intervals (C 195%). Results: 881 girls took part in the survey. The prevalence of iron deficiency and I.D.A. were 7.5% (5.76-9.24) and 2.5%(1.47-3.53) respectively. There was no significant difference between the prevalence of iron deficiency and anemia in the students of governmental and private schools. Conclusion: Regarding the high prevalence of iron deficiency,studies about effectiveness of ferrous sulfate administration for preventing anemia is suggested.