Anaemia Among Children Who Attended the Children’s Teaching Hospital in Karbala, Iraq

INTRODUCTION: The World Health Organization (WHO) reported a moderate incidence of anaemia among pregnant and nonpregnant women and among children younger than 59 months in 2011. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate anaemia among children younger than 14 years submitted to haematological exams at the Children’s Teaching Hospital in Karbala, Iraq. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study carried out in the Children’s Teaching Hospital Laboratory Department in Karbala, Iraq, from 1 July 2019 until 1 September 2019. RESULTS: The prevalence of anaemia among children aged 0–14 years in Karbala was 9.9%. There was no significant relationship between the type of anaemia diagnosed and age or sex. However, there was a significantly positive relationship between the type of anaemia diagnosed and each ferritin level, mean corpuscular volume, and mean corpuscular haemoglobin (p<0.0001). The study participant skull diameter and length in relation to sex were compared to the WHO reference values for child growth standards, and the study values were less than the normal range for children below 5 years of age. CONCLUSION: A high prevalence of anaemia among children was reported with its apparent consequence on their health. This study highlights the prevalence of anaemia among children up to 14 years of age in Karbala, and future research is encouraged.