Adolescent Iron Deficiency Anemia Incidence in Kahramanmaras

Abstract

World Health Organization defined adolescence as 10-19 years of age. The adolescence is known as a period of rapid physical growth along with sexual, biological, psychological and social changes. Iron deficiency anemia is prevalent in adolescence. Iron deficiency leads to myelinization disorder in the nerves, axon insufficiency, and impaired brain development, and hemoglobin deficiency disrupts the oxygen transfer to tissues and hypoxia in brain and other tissues, leading to problems in tissue-organ
functions and cognitive development. The present study aimed to determine iron deficiency anemia incidence in adolescents in our region. The current study was conducted with 80 male (Group I) and 80 female (Group III)11 ± 16 years old adolescent subjects who applied to Kahramanmaras Necip Fazıl City Hospital, Gynecology and Children supplemental building healthy children outpatient clinic and who were non-smokers without any known previous disease. In the study, iron, hemoglobin, hematocrit and ferritin levels were analyzed. The anemia incidence was 7.1% in Group I, the anemia incidence was 28.6% in Group II, and the anemia incidence was3.6% in Group I based on ferritin, and the anemia incidence was 21.4% in Group II based
on ferritin. Analysis of all groups revealed that the anemia incidence was17.9% based on hemoglobin and 12.5% based on ferritin.
The present study findings suggested that IDA incidence was quite high in our region and these children should apply to health institutions in certain intervals and their iron diet should be regulated.