Zonguldak province for children between the ages of 6 and 14prevalence of anemia

Aim: Anemia is one of the most important health problems in developed countries as well as in underdeveloped and developing countries. If not detected early and treated appropriately, it can cause serious morbidity and mortality. Preventing the development of anemia by determining the risk factors and taking necessary precautions is a much more effective way to maintain the healthy growth and development of the child than to treat anemia after it develops. Anemia in children most often develops in relation to deficiencies in iron and other nutritional substances, however, it may be possible to determine risk factors that may vary according to different residential areas and age groups for each country and to take precautions by screening throughout the country. With our study, we aimed to determine the general prevalence of anemia, prevalence of nutritional anemias and risk factors in school age children in Zonguldak province. Material and Method: This study is a cross-sectional study, which includes 700 children aged between six and fourteen years, who were routinely screened by family physicians in 2019-2020. Children which we included in our study are from randomly selected family health centers in central districts of Zonguldak. Necessary permissions were obtained from the provincial health directorate and family health center responsible physicians and also screening results were obtained with their permission. The families of the children were called one by one, questionnaire applied about the etiology of anemia and other necessary informations. Diagnosis: Of the 700 patients, 373 (53.3%) were female and 327 (46.7%) were male. Their average age was 10.56 ± 2.53 (min: 6 years, max: 14 years). Average hemoglobin value 13.0 ± 0.93 mg / dl (min: 10.2 mg / dl max: 16.6 mg / dl), mean erythrocyte volume (MCV) value 80.5 ± 4.23 fL (min: 63.3 fL max: 95.3 fL), average ferritin value 40.3 ± 24.1 ng / mL (min: 2.5 ng / mL max: 199 ng / mL), average vitamin B 12 value 349.1 It was found to be ± 138.9 pg / mL (min: 83.0 pg / mL max: 934 pg / mL). Of the 700 children included in the study, 74 (10.5%) had anemia, 97 (13.8%) iron deficiency, 38 (5.4%) iron deficiency anemia, 63 (9%) vitamin B 12 deficiency and 14 (2%) had vitamin B 12 deficiency anemia. Iron and vitamin B 12 deficiency were found together in 19 (2.7%) patients, and anemia secondary to iron and vitamin B 12 deficiency was found in 10 (1.4%) patients. v The prevalence of anemia in girls was found to be significantly higher than boys. Especially girls in the 10-14 age group had the highest rates of anemia, iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia (15.4%, 19.5%, 10.4%); However, when all children were grouped between 6-9 and 10-14 years of age, there was no significant difference. Vitamin B 12 deficiency anemia was found to be significantly higher over the age of 10. When the children were evaluated in terms of risk factors, it was found that there was a significant relationship between anemia and heavy menstrual bleeding and family history, iron deficiency with heavy menstrual bleeding and malnutrition, iron deficiency anemia and heavy menstrual bleeding as well as the use of drugs that affect absorption. Conclusion: According to the criteria of the World Health Organization, anemia is a mild health problem with a prevalence of 10.5% in children aged 6-14 years in Zonguldak. However, the fact that the prevalence of anemia in the 10-14 age group is significantly higher than the anemia prevalence in the 6-9 age group has shown that children in this age group are at higher risk for developing anemia. This situation reveals the necessity of establishing national programs for close screening and follow-up of adolescent children in terms of nutritional deficiencies and anemia, as in pre-school children. Keywords: School age children, Anemia prevalence, Iron deficiency, Vitamin B 12 deficiency