title: Diagnosis of iron deficiency anemia in children of Northeast Brazil.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To diagnose iron deficiency anemia in children.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was conducted with a sample of 301 children aged six to 30 months attending public daycare centers in the city of Recife, Northeast Brazil, in 2004. The diagnoses of anemia were based on a combination of different hematological and biochemical parameters: hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume, ferritin, C-reactive protein, transferrin saturation and transferrin receptor. The chi-square test and ANOVA were used in the statistical analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of all children studied, 92.4% had anemia (Hb<110 g/L) and 28.9% had moderate/severe anemia (Hb<90 g/L). Lower levels of hemoglobin were found in children aged 6-17 months. Iron deficiency was found in 51.5% of children using ferritin (<12 microg/L) as parameter. Taking into consideration the combination of hemoglobin level, ferritin and transferrin receptor, 58.1% had anemia with iron deficiency, 34.2% had anemia without iron deficiency and 2.3% had iron deficiency without anemia. Mean ferritin concentration was significantly higher in children with high C-reactive protein when compared with those with normal levels (22.1 vs. 14.8 microg/L).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of several biochemical and hematological parameters allowed to diagnosing iron deficiency anemia in two thirds of children, suggesting a need to identify other determinants of anemia without iron deficiency.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Fisioterapia, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, João Pessoa, PB, Brazil.
authors.forename: Antonio Geraldo Cidrão
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.forename: Pedro Israel Cabral de
authors.initials: PI
authors.lastname: Lira
authors.forename: Maria de Fátima Alcântara
authors.initials: Mde F
authors.lastname: Barros
authors.forename: Maria Luiza Martins
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Aléssio
authors.forename: Marília de Carvalho
authors.initials: Mde C
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.forename: Marie Annette
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Carbonneau
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Berger
authors.forename: Claude Louis
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Léger
mesh_terms: D018798:Anemia, Iron-Deficiency / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D002656:Child Day Care Centers; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004909:Erythrocyte Indices; D005260:Female; D005293:Ferritins / Q000097:blood; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D011990:Receptors, Transferrin / Q000097:blood; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014168:Transferrin / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D006454:Hemoglobins; D011990:Receptors, Transferrin; D014168:Transferrin; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D005293:Ferritins