title: Iron Deficiency Anemia: Problems in Diagnosis and Prevention at the Population Level.
abstract: Anemia is common among people living in low- and middle-income countries, and alleviation of the global burden of anemia is an essential global health target over the next decade. Estimates have attributed about half the cases of anemia worldwide to iron deficiency; a range of other causes probably make a similar overall contribution. Individuals living in low-income settings experience a simultaneous high burden of infection with inflammation and iron deficiency. At least in children, iron supplementation exacerbates the risk of infection in both malaria-endemic and nonendemic low-income countries, whereas iron deficiency is protective against clinical and severe malaria.
authors.affiliation: MRC Human Immunology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DS, UK. Electronic address: sant-rayn.pasricha@imm.ox.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Sant-Rayn
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Pasricha
authors.affiliation: MRC Human Immunology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DS, UK.
authors.forename: Hal
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Drakesmith
mesh_terms: D018798:Anemia, Iron-Deficiency / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D014943:Global Health; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D015995:Prevalence
keywords: Anemia; Children; Hepcidin; Infection; Iron; Malaria; Public health