Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 12, 2026
Continuous Manual Exchange Transfusion for Patients with Sickle Cell Disease: An Efficient Method to Avoid Iron Overload
Published on: March 14, 2017
Effect of moderate anaemia on later mortality in rural African children
Hala Ghattas1, Tony Fulford, Andrew Prentice
1Department of Infectious Diseases, St George's Hospital Medical School, Cranmer Terrace, London SW17 0RE, UK. h.ghattas@sghms.ac.uk
Insights
Moderate childhood anaemia does not appear to increase mortality risk. A case-control study found no link between moderate anaemia (70-110 g/L) and child survival in a Gambian population.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Hematology
- Global Health
Background:
- Severe childhood anaemia is a known risk factor for increased mortality.
- Evidence linking moderate anaemia to child survival is limited, necessitating further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between moderate anaemia and child mortality.
- To determine if moderate anaemia affects child survival rates.
Main Methods:
- A case-control study was conducted using data from a rural Gambian research center (1950-1997).
- Haemoglobin concentrations of 403 deceased children were compared to age- and sex-matched survivors, with measurements taken up to one year prior to death.
Main Results:
- No evidence of lower haemoglobin concentrations was found in children who died compared to survivors.
- Excluding acute effects in the final week of life, moderate anaemia (70-110 g/L) showed no general or disease-specific association with mortality.
Conclusions:
- Moderate anaemia in childhood does not appear to be a significant risk factor for increased mortality.
- Findings suggest that interventions targeting moderate anaemia may not be critical for improving child survival in this context.
Abstract:
Severe anaemia in childhood is associated with increased mortality, although evidence relating moderate anaemia to child survival is scarce. We aimed to investigate this association. We did a case-control study of children with moderate anaemia, and compared haemoglobin concentrations measured up to a year before death for 403 children (age range 28 days to 15 years) with those from children who survived (matched for age and sex). Data were obtained from long-term health records (1950-97) of a rural Gambian research centre. Excluding an acute effect in this last week of life, no evidence was recorded of lower haemoglobin concentrations in the children who died than in survivors, or of any general or disease-specific effects of non-severe anaemia (70-110 g/L) on mortality.
More Related Videos
10:55A Piglet Perinatal Asphyxia Model to Study Cardiac Injury and Hemodynamics after Cardiac Arrest, Resuscitation, and the Return of Spontaneous Circulation
Published on: January 13, 2023
05:35A Point-of-Care Method with Integrated Decision Support Tool to Estimate Anemia at Population Level
Published on: January 19, 2024
