Unexpectedly high early prevalence of anaemia in 6-month-old breast-fed infants in rural Bangladesh.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the prevalence of anaemia and maternal and infant factors associated with Hb values in infants at 6 months of age in rural Bangladesh.


METHODS
Infants (born to mothers supplemented with Fe-folic acid from mid-pregnancy) were visited at birth and 6 months of age. Mothers' anthropometric status, and infants' birth weight, gestational age at birth, weight and Hb concentration at 6 months were measured. Household socio-economic and demographic data, infant feeding practices and health status were collected using a pre-tested structured questionnaire.


METHODS
Rural Bangladesh.


METHODS
Four hundred and two infants.


RESULTS
For the total cohort (n 402), the range of anaemia prevalence values was from 30.6 % using a cut-off value of Hb < 95 g/l to 71.9 % using a value of Hb < 110 g/l. Birth weight and month of birth were the only factors positively associated with infant Hb in a linear regression model (P = 0.008 and 0.011, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
There was an unexpectedly high prevalence of anaemia in infants at 6 months of age, before the assumed period of vulnerability. Hb at this age tended to be higher in those with higher birth weight. We also found a season effect on Hb, as it tended to be higher as the study progressed. The high prevalence of anaemia at such an early age needs to be addressed to minimize the disease's long-term consequences.
Shakur
Yaseer A
YA
The Hospital for Sick Children, Room 8438, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5G 1X8. Yaseer.shakur@utoronto.ca
Choudhury
Nuzhat
N
Hyder
S M Ziauddin
SM
Zlotkin
Stanley H
SH
D000740:Anemia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D018798:Anemia, Iron-Deficiency / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D001459:Bangladesh / Q000453:epidemiology; D001724:Birth Weight / Q000502:physiology*; D001942:Breast Feeding; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007227:Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena / Q000502:physiology; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D019266:Iron, Dietary / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012423:Rural Health; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012621:Seasons
D006454:Hemoglobins; D019266:Iron, Dietary