Malahat Mansoor, Hammad Raza.
Iron deficiency anemia; importance of iron fortified food (wheat) for prevention.
Professional Med J Jan ;23(06):673-9.

Around 65% of pregnant women in South Asia suffer from IDA & in Indian sub-continent alone, the rate of developing IDA during pregnancy is 88%. Moreover anemic pregnant patients are more likely to give birth to low birth weight babies which itself is another factor adding to socio-economic burden on the whole family. The food has not been fortified for Iron, Zinc & Vitamin D & hence the prevention of anemia has not yet been achieved Objectives: To study Awareness of women about food fortification & prevention of IDA Vs cost for treating anemia. Period: August 2015-Dec 2015. Study Design: Observational Study. Settings: At Bhatti International Hospital, Kasur Results: Among the selected anemic women, almost half (55%) had mild anemia, while rest had moderate to severe anemia indicting that the prevalence is very common. The treatment offered was oral &/or IV Iron with blood transfusions. The cost of iv Iron therapy & blood transfusions estimates in thousands with added risks of Transfusion Reactions, allergic reactions& transmission of blood-borne diseases like HCV,HBV,HIV(AIDS)&others. The awareness level was found to be poor among these women .Only 8/60 i.e 13% had some idea about iron deficiency anemia & almost none knew about food fortifications. The insight about their own disease of IDA was also 35% (21/60) indicating that most of the women in community live with IDA without any understanding of a preventable condition. Conclusion: The cost & time spend to treat IDA can be minimizes creating awareness about food fortification & supplementation.

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