Studies on the treatment and prevention of iron deficiency anemia, in pregnant and nonpregnant women and in men, were conducted in Thailand and Burma. The effects of the dose of Fe, duration of Fe administration, additional supplementation with folate, mode of supplement delivery (either supervised or unsupervised), and the presence of Hb(AE) were studied. The frequency and severity of side effects were also recorded. Fe administration resulted in an increase in hemoglobin concentration in all anemic individuals but approximately 20% failed to reach normality. The length of administration and the dose influenced the results. Frequency and severity of side effects increased with the dose of Fe administered. Folate supplementation did not affect the results. It appears possible to integrate a program of prevention and treatment of Fe deficiency anemia in a primary health-care system but the constraints and limitations of achievable results should be recognized.
SUMMARY.Iron deficiency is a common problem, particularly in developing countries, but traditional laboratory methods of detecting this condition are unreliable. The prevalence of iron deficiency in a Northern Thai population (pre-school, school children, adult women) has been assessed by means of plasma ferritin concentrations. The results were compared with prevalences based on blood haemoglobin concentrations. Estimations of prevalences based on plasma ferritin values were 10-24% in non-vegetarian and 49-71 % in vegetarian groups, whilst those based on blood haemoglobin were 11-21% (non-vegetarian) and 24--50% (vegetarian). Dietary supplementation with iron produced dramatic rises in plasma ferritin in all of the groups studied. The effects on blood haemoglobin concentration and haematocrit were less marked. These results highlight the extent of iron deficiency in a Thai population and demonstrate the sensitivity of plasma ferritin as a test for detecting this condition and assessing the response to dietary supplementation.Iron-deficiency anaemia is the commonest nutritional deficiency disease and is especially prevalent in developing countries.
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