[Prevention of iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia in tropical areas]

Iron deficiency is the most widespread nutritional disease in the World. It is prevalent in tropical areas especially in pregnant women and children. The main cause in these areas is consumption of foods containing inhibitors of iron absorption resulting in insufficient bioavailability. In advanced stages of iron deficiency, low hemoglobin levels lead to anemia. Functional consequences of anemia depend on age including mental and physical retardation in children and work disability in adults. Although other disorders including parasitic, infectious, genetic, and nutritional diseases may be involved in anemia in tropical areas, iron deficiency is always a factor because of nutritional conditions. The WHO has proposed laboratory criteria for use in establishing the incidence of iron deficiency and related anemia in a given population. Based on several surveys, four preventive strategies have been developed, i.e., dietary diversification, iron supplementation, general public health measures, and food fortification. Each of these strategies has advantages and disadvantages. The prevailing consensus is that coordinated use of these approaches holds forth the only hope of impacting the incidence of iron-deficiency anemia in tropical regions.