Dominance of Iron Deficiency Anemia among Adolescent Females in OPD of Hayatabad Medical Complex, Peshawar, Pakistan

Abstract

Background: A common public health issue, especially in developing countries, is iron deficiency anemia. Teenage girls are more vulnerable because of their fast growth, higher iron needs, and menstruation. Objective: To find the prevalence of iron deficiency anemia among adolescent females in the OPD of Hayatabad Medical Complex, Peshawar, Pakistan. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Hayatabad Medical Complex, Peshawar, over a duration of six months.  A convenient sampling technique was used to recruit 306 participants. Adolescent female patients aged 10 to 19 years old were included in the study, while patients with blood cancer, thalassemia, accident, psychological disability, and cardiac patients were excluded. The patients had undergone their serum ferritin and complete blood tests, and written informed consent was obtained from each participant. Following the consent process, each participant was asked to complete a structured questionnaire, which gathered demographic information, medical history, and dietary habits relevant to the study. Subsequently, blood samples were drawn, and these samples were then processed and analyzed to determine serum ferritin and CBC parameters for the diagnosis of iron deficiency anemia. The data was analyzed and transformed into appropriate graphs and tables by using SPSS version 22. Results: The study, which involved 306 participants between the ages of 10 and 19, discovered that the overall prevalence of iron deficiency anemia was 35.9%, with the highest incidence occurring in the 17–19 age range (19.9%). The prevalence of anemia overall, including non-IDA forms, was 68.3%. Of the individuals, 33.3% had mild anemia, 23.2% had moderate anemia, and 11.8% had severe anemia. There were notable socioeconomic differences; iron deficiency anemia rates were greater in the middle-income (22.2%) and low-income (11.8%) groups than in the high-income (2.3%) group. Adolescents in urban areas were more prevalent (27.5%) than those in rural areas (8.5%). Furthermore, non-IDA anemia was present in 32.4% of subjects. Conclusion: The study’s findings highlight the critical need for public health programs that target IDA in teenage girls by enhancing food education, providing iron supplements, and providing socioeconomic support. To create specialized treatments for this population, future studies should investigate additional causes of anemia.