HYDERABAD: A study on the high precedence of anaemia among the female population in Telangana by Unani Hospital in Charminar has found that the majority of the patients have moderate levels of anaemia. This has raised questions over the recent National Family Health Survey-4 data, according to which most of the cases were mild.
Titled ‘A study of anaemia profile in a research hospital in Telangana’, the study was published in the International Journal of Advances in Medicine. It analysed 3,326 patients between January 2020 to December 2020 and found 872 with anaemia, which is 26.2 per cent. A majority of them were females — 788 of 872 — the rest 9.6 per cent were males. All of the patients had visited OPDs to consult doctors.
The researchers further observed that most of the women affected by anaemia were in the age group of 20-40 years. “It was found that a common problem in the reproductive age group was low income leading to low dietary intake of iron-rich food, lack of awareness, chronic blood loss, malabsorption or combination.”
As per the research, of 872 anaemia patients, nearly 511 had moderate anaemia, which is 58.6 per cent, while only 4.7 per cent of patients had severe symptoms. The rest of them were mild patients.
The study further found that specific blood indices (microcytes) were found in most blood samples, indicating that this was largely occurring due to deficiency of iron and not other nutrients. Nutritional deficiency is a major cause of concern, say, researchers.
The study assumes significance as it contradicts another recent study conducted in the State. “These findings do not coincide with NFHS 4 data of Telangana, in which most had mild anaemia. The reason for the higher incidence of moderate anaemia cases in this study could be either poor compliance of women in taking iron and folic acid tablets supplied to them by the government or concurrent nutritional deficiency,” the researchers noted.