SURVEILLANCE FOR IRON-DEFICIENCY ANEMIA AT A WELL BABY CLINIC IN RIYADH, SAUDI-ARABIA

Screening for iron deficiency anaemia was offered to all 400 infants aged between 6 and 24 months who were attending a well baby clinic for immunization. Venous haemoglobin (Hb) concentration and red blood cell indices were estimated in 366 infants (91.5%). Dietary history and physical examination findings were recorded. Of the 366 screened infants 157 (42.89%) were suspected to be iron deficient (Hb < 11 g/dl and/or mean corpuscular volume < 70 fl) and 136 (37.16%) were anaemic (Hb < 11 g/dl). The only factor which was very significantly associated with anaemia was the status of bottle feeding among the screened infants. Anaemia was more prevalent among children who were not bottle-fed than among children who were bottle-fed (p < 0.01). Venesection for estimation of serum iron, total iron binding capacity and serum ferritin (SF) were conducted in only 66 infants among the suspected iron deficient cases. Using 10% and 12 mug/litre as the lower normal limits of transferrin saturation percentage (TAS) and SF respectively, 25.4% of infants tested for TAS and 48.1% of those tested for SF were found to be iron deficient. Among the 48 infants who had both TAS and SF estimated, 22.9% were found to be iron deficient. In view of the high prevalence of iron deficiency in the population studied, it is highly recommended that all infants should be screened for iron deficiency at their routine visits for immunization.