Anaemia treatment trials in a rural population of Tanzania

In a coastal population in whom anaemia was common, two randomised controlled trials were undertaken to investigate the effectiveness of treating iron deficiency anaemia at a dispensary and at primary schools. For anaemic adult villagers treated at a dispensary, one dose of tetrachlorethylene for hookworm infection and a once per week visit to collect medicines were found to be satisfactory. A small but significant increase in haemoglobin level was produced by four weeks oral iron therapy, but this was only maintained after seven months by the group that had initially also received tetrachlorethylene. In children (5-14 years) no significant rise in haemoglobin level was obtained by using oral iron and/or TCE, either at the dispensary or at the primary schools. This suggests that malaria was a more potent cause of anaemia in these children.