Prevalence of Anemia and Use of Iron Supplements in MBBS Students of CMH Lahore Medical College

Abstract

Background: Iron deficiency anemia afflicts masses of all ages, worldwide. The disease tends to be prominent in the adolescence, students being more vulnerable due to their dynamic lifestyle, dietary habits and demanding growth spurt. Use of iron supplements can greatly reduce the burden of disease and associated morbidity. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of anemia and use of iron supplements in MBBS students of CMH Medical College, Lahore. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in CMH Medical College, Lahore. A predesigned questionnaire was used to obtain information regarding use of iron supplements. Afterwards, hemoglobin level was measured using conventional Sahli’s method. The collected data was analyzed with SPSS 25 software. Results with p value < 0.05 were taken as significant. Results: Mean hemoglobin level was found to be 14.3±1.3 g/dL in males and 11.6±1.4 g/dL in females. Prevalence of anemia was found to be 38.7%. Anemia was found to be more prevalent in female students (57.8%) as compared to the male students (14.9%). Difference between prevalence of anemia in hostellites and day scholars was not found to be statistically significant (p = 0.17). Frequency of anemia was observed to be significantly higher in students who did not use oral iron supplements (p=0.03). Conclusion: Iron deficiency anemia is more common in female students than male students, of CMH Medical College Lahore. Majority of the anemic students do not take oral iron supplements. There is no difference in the prevalence of anemia among hostellites and day scholars. MeSH words: anemia, hemoglobin, iron supplements