title: Deficiencies of Serum Ferritin and Vitamin B12, but not Folate, are Common in Adolescent Girls Residing in a Slum in Delhi.
abstract: Anemia among adolescent girls is one of the major challenges faced by India. The present study was undertaken to assess the prevalence of anemia and status of other hematological parameters among adolescent girls (11 - 18 years) residing in an urban slum of Delhi. A total of 794 adolescent girls were recruited for the study. The prevalence of anemia was estimated using the cyanmethemoglobin method. Serum levels of ferritin, folic acid and vitamin B12 were estimated for anemic subjects. The prevalence of anemia was reported as 58.7 %, with 31.6 %, 25.7 % and 1.4 % of subjects being mild, moderate and severely anemic. Hemoglobin levels of subjects who had attained menarche were found to be significantly lower than those who had not attained menarche. The prevalence of serum ferritin, folic acid and vitamin B12 deficiency among those who were anemic was reported as 41.1 %, 5.0 % and 63.3 % respectively. A total of 23.5 % anemic subjects had concomitant micronutrient deficiencies of serum vitamin B12 and ferritin. The results indicate that supplemental iron and vitamin B12 may better address the burden of anemia in adolescent girls in Delhi.
authors.affiliation: 1 Centre for Promotion of Nutrition Research and Training with Special Focus on North-East, Tribal and Inaccessible Population (Indian Council of Medical Research), New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Priyanka
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gupta Bansal
authors.affiliation: 1 Centre for Promotion of Nutrition Research and Training with Special Focus on North-East, Tribal and Inaccessible Population (Indian Council of Medical Research), New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Gurudayal
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Singh Toteja
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Food & Nutrition, Lady Irwin College, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Neena
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bhatia
authors.affiliation: 3 Department of Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Naval
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kishore Vikram
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Food & Nutrition, Lady Irwin College, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Anupa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Siddhu
authors.affiliation: 4 National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Ashok
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kumar Garg
authors.affiliation: 1 Centre for Promotion of Nutrition Research and Training with Special Focus on North-East, Tribal and Inaccessible Population (Indian Council of Medical Research), New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Ashok
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kumar Roy
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000740:Anemia / Q000453:epidemiology; D018798:Anemia, Iron-Deficiency / Q000453:epidemiology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005293:Ferritins / Q000097:blood / Q000172:deficiency*; D005494:Folic Acid Deficiency / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D018977:Micronutrients / Q000172:deficiency; D009752:Nutritional Status; D011204:Poverty Areas; D014505:Urban Population; D014806:Vitamin B 12 Deficiency / Q000453:epidemiology*
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins; D018977:Micronutrients; D005293:Ferritins
keywords: adolescent girls; anemia; ferritin; folic acid; hematological status; vitamin B12