Magnitude, Severity, and Morphological Types of Anemia in Hospitalized Children Under the Age of Five in Southern Tanzania

Mghanga, Fabian  P; Genge, Christopher  M; Yeyeye, Leonia; Twalib, Zainab; Kibopile, Wilfred; Rutalemba, Fredrick J; Shengena, Tito  M

doi:10.7759/cureus.1499

Cited by 18Iron Metabolism and DisordersHemoglobinopathies and Related DisordersChild Nutrition and Water Access

Magnitude, Severity, and Morphological Types of Anemia in Hospitalized Children Under the Age of Five in Southern Tanzania

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Mghanga, Fabian P, Genge, Christopher M, Yeyeye, Leonia, Twalib, Zainab, Kibopile, Wilfred, Rutalemba, Fredrick J, Shengena, Tito M·2017·Cureus

DOI 10.7759/cureus.1499PMC PMC5608490

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Abstract

Introduction Anemia is a significant public health problem among children and women globally. It is one of the most common causes of deaths among children admitted to hospitals in sub-Saharan Africa. Case fatality rates of 6 percent to 18 percent have been reported even in facilities that have blood transfusions services. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the magnitude, severity, and morphological types of anemia among hospitalized children under five years of age in the southern part of Tanzania. Methods A cross-sectional, hospital-based, retrospective analysis was conducted in February 2016 using hospital records of 303 children aged 0-59 months admitted to St. Benedict Ndanda Referral Hospital, Mtwara, Tanzania between 1 July 2015 and 31 December 2015. Results The mean hemoglobin (Hb) level of the study population was 7.87 ± 2.84 g/dL, the median was 8.00g/dL, the interquartile range (IQR) was 4.40g/dL, and the prevalence of anemia was 83.17 percent. The magnitude of mild, moderate, and severe anemia was 9.13 percent, 44.84 percent, and 46.03 percent, respectively, and about half of all anemic children had normocytic anemia. Conclusion Severe anemia is a common health problem among hospitalized children under five years of age in the study area. We recommend screening all admitted children under the age of five for anemia, and clinicians should pay attention to and put more emphasis on intervention strategies for anemia when treating children admitted for other diseases.

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There is limited evidence on the prevalence of anemia among hospitalized 6-59-month-old children in the Tigray region.
“Although the prevalence of anemia among hospitalized 6–59‐month‐old children has been studied in different parts of the world such as in India 63.3% [12], Brazil 56.6% [13], Southern Tanzania 83.17% [14], and Ghana 55% [15] and in different regions of Ethiopia such as in Gondar 54.1% [11] and South Wollo 41.1% [9], there is limited evidence in the Tigray region.”
From Prevalence of Anemia and Its Associated Factors Among 6–59‐Month‐Old Children in Ayder Comprehensive Specialized Referral Hospital, Northern Ethiopia (2026) · cites this paper as [14]

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Authors: Mghanga, F. P., Genge, C. M., Yeyeye, L., Twalib, Z., Kibopile, W., Rutalemba, F. J., & Shengena, T. M.
Corresponding author: Mghanga, Fabian P
ORCID: Mghanga, Fabian P
Venue: Cureus
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published: 2017-07-21
Volume: 9
Issue: 7
Pages: e1499-e1499
ISSN: 2168-8184 (ISSN-L)
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.1499
PMC: PMC5608490
OpenAlex: W2737107342
Cited by: 18
References: 26
Citations by year: 2026: 1 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 1 · 2017: 1
FWCI: 1.26
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: diamond
doi.org
Licence: cc-by
Locations: Cureus (publishedVersion, cc-by)
PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders: National Institute for Medical Research
Topics: Health Sciences › Medicine › Hematology › Iron Metabolism and Disorders
Health Sciences › Medicine › Genetics › Hemoglobinopathies and Related Disorders
Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Child Nutrition and Water Access
Keywords: childhood anemia, anemia prevalence, anemia severity, hemoglobin levels, normocytic anemia, anemia screening

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Magnitude, Severity, and Morphological Types of Anemia in Hospitalized Children Under the Age of Five in Southern Tanzania

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