Burden of Anemia among elderly population attending Rural Health Training Center in Kancheepuram, Tamil Nadu
Journal Title: National Journal of Research in Community Medicine - Year 2017, Vol 6, Issue 0
Abstract
Background: Iron deficiency anemia is the most common cause of anemia in India. It affects all age groups but more prevalent among geriatric population. Large numbers of studies including NFHS-4 have quantified the prevalence of anemia among other age group than the elderly population. Most of the studies have studied the prevalence of anemia among maternal and child population and there is lack of studies among the elderly population especially in rural areas. Aim & Objectives:To estimate the burden of anemia and its associated factors among the rural elderly population older than 60 years of age. Material and Methods: A cross sectional study was done among the patients aged 60 yrs and above who visited SRM RHTC, Mamandur during the period between July – December 2016. Socio demographic factors and other determinants were recorded using a semi-structured questionnaire. Clinical examination was done in all study subjects and Hemoglobin levels were detected using Sahli’s technique. Informed consent from all participants was obtained. Data was entered on excel sheet and analyzed using statistical software SPSS. Results:Out of 240 study subjects 112 were males and 128 were females. Majority of them had mixed diet (85.83%) and were having normal BMI (70.42%). The study revealed that based on WHO definition of anemia, 67.08% of study population was anemic. The Mean ± SD Hb% was 9 ± 1.4. The prevalence of anemia was higher among females (72.66%) than males (60.71%). Among 161 subjects who were anemic, dyspnoea was present in 107 (66.46%), pallor in 78 (62.4%)and both were statistically significant. Conclusion: Anemia in elderly is often underreported and it is pertinent to do larger studies in India to identify the prevalence of anemia among elderly which will provide baseline data for planning appropriate interventional strategies.
Authors and Affiliations
Sathiya Narayanan S, Logaraj M. , Abhilash Pulidevan
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