Study of prevalence of anaemia among low socioeconomic status patients in a tertiary care hospital

 

 

Abstract              Background: Anaemia is a major public health issue affecting the quality of life and work capacity of large number of population throughout the world. It is being observed that prevalence of anaemia in both the genders is due to several factors like improper nutrition intake and socioeconomic background. The objective of the study is to determine the prevalence of anaemia among lower socioeconomic status patients admitted under various departments at Shridevi Institute of Medical Science and Research Hospital, Tumkur under Employees State Insurance scheme (ESI). Methods: The study is a retrospective analysis of Medical case records for a period of one year from April 2018 to March2019. A total of 1076 case records were analyzed based upon age, sex, various Departments and Hemoglobin Concentration obtained from Complete Blood Count. The criteria laid down by WHO were taken for determining the severity of anaemia Results: Among 1076 patients, 55.85 %(n=601) had anaemia. There was a significant preponderance of females accounting for 74.71% as compared to 30.54% of males. According to the assessment, 72.7% had Mild anaemia but only less than 10% had severe anaemia. Conclusion: This study showed the prevalence of anaemia to be 55.85%. On hematological assessment majority of them had latent anaemia which was asymptomatic. Thus patients have to be evaluated before it progresses to severe anaemia. This study emphasizes on the importance of providing health education on the ill-effects of anaemia and life style modifications along with nutritional supplementation.

Key Word: anaemia.