According to a study that analyzed data from community-level blood surveys in eight states of the country, a large proportion of 'anemia' cases were found to be linked to factors such as vitamin B12 deficiency and air pollution.
However, anemia is usually caused by a deficiency of red blood cells.
The study published in the 'European Journal of Clinical Nutrition' also revealed that iron deficiency anemia accounts for less than a third of the total cases.
Researchers from the 'Vitamin B12 India Study' and the Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR-NIN), Hyderabad, said their findings suggest that iron deficiency does not appear to be the primary cause of anemia.
According to the researchers, “these results have policy implications for the prevention and improvement of anemia.”
Anemia, according to the study authors, is a blood disorder in which healthy red blood cells are insufficient or getting worse. It is a public health problem and is believed to be getting worse, as shown by trends from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS).
He said the National Family Health Survey surveys do not investigate the cause of anemia because they only measure capillary blood hemoglobin based on a fingertip blood sample.
The study team cited a 2019 comprehensive national nutrition survey, which analyzed hemoglobin levels in blood samples of Indian children taken from veins, and found a low prevalence of anemia.
However, the authors of the study said that iron deficiency is considered the main cause of anemia. For this study, a total of 4,613 people including adolescents, adults and elderly from the states of Northeast, Central, East, South and West India were included.
According to the study authors, “In the survey based on intravenous blood samples, the prevalence of anemia in men and women was markedly lower than the results of the capillary blood-based NFHS-5 survey in the same states.” '
“Among women, the prevalence of anemia in eight states was 41.1 per cent, while in NFHS-5 it was 60.8 per cent for women aged 15 to 49 years,” they wrote.
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