Anemia in Sri Lanka: A Literature Review

Anemia is a global health problem. This paper reviews literature on the prevalence of anemia in Sri Lanka. We searched EBSCO (Elton Bryson Stephens Company), Cochrane Library, and Medline for articles on prevalence and molecular basis of anemia in Sri Lanka from January 2000 to May 2021. Forty articles were selected. Most of the studies were on prevalence of anemia among children and pregnant women. All the studies had restricted themselves to assess the contributing factors for anemia in limited age categories. Most articles had attempted to determine the overall prevalence of anemia and the contribution of iron deficiency to it. There were only a few studies on prevalence and molecular basis of hemoglobinopathies and even fewer on the prevalence of anemia of chronic disease. None of the studies had attempted to assess the national prevalence of red cell membranopathies and enzymopathies. The published data on prevalence of anemia in Sri Lanka are incomplete. This review emphasizes the value of a much broader survey on anemia covering all age categories including the elderly and conducting a national survey including anemia of chronic disease and on red cell membranopathies and enzymopathies in Sri Lanka.