Prevalence of Iron Deficiency and Iron Deficiency Anemia Among Adolescent Girls at a Tertiary Care Centre in Bihar: A...

Background Iron deficiency (ID) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) are significant public health concerns, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Adolescents, especially girls, are at a heightened risk due to increased iron requirements during growth and menstruation. Objective This study aimed to estimate the hospital prevalence of ID and IDA among adolescent girls attending the Outpatient Department (OPD) at a tertiary care centre in Bihar, India. Methods A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Patna, India, from June 2019 to October 2021. A total of 169 adolescent girls aged 10 to 19 years were recruited using a non-probability convenient sampling method. Participants with normal C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were included to ensure accurate assessment of iron status, without the influence of inflammation. Serum ferritin, hemoglobin, serum iron, total iron-binding capacity (TIBC), and percentage saturation were measured. The primary outcomes were the prevalence of ID (serum ferritin < 15 µg/L) and IDA (serum ferritin < 15 µg/L and hemoglobin < 12 g/dL). Results The hospital prevalence of ID among the study participants was 17.8% (95% CI: 11.8%-23.5%), while the hospital prevalence of IDA was 15.4% (95% CI: 10.1%-21.7%). The overall hospital prevalence of anemia was 47.9% (95% CI: 40.2%-53.8%). A higher hospital prevalence of ID and IDA was observed in older adolescents (aged 17-19 years) compared to younger ones (aged 10-16 years), though the association was not significant (p = 0.056). Conclusions The findings of this study revealed that almost half of the adolescent girl population had a high hospital prevalence of anemia, with the majority of these cases classified as mild to moderate in intensity, whereas the hospital prevalence of absolute ID and IDA was low. Early screening using serum ferritin and appropriate nutritional strategies is recommended to address this public health issue.