Etiology of anemia in children: A comprehensive review

Abstract

Anemia, a condition characterized by a reduction in the quantity of hemoglobin in the blood. This condition is one of the most prevalent public health problems all over the world and it affects both developing and developed countries. It has been estimated that at a global level, anemia affects 1.62 billion people, corresponding to a prevalence of 24.8% in the population. This situation is even more dramatic in the pediatric population, especially in preschool and school-age children. In 2011, the World Health Organization estimated that there are about 293 million preschool children with anemia worldwide, and their figures show that 47.4% of the preschool children of 6-59 months are anemic. In a study carried out in Brazilian children from two to six years old, the global prevalence of anemia was 20.4%, and there is a significant difference in both sexes, with a prevalence of 30.9% in males and 9.2% in females