Akula Sanjeevaiah, Akula Sushmitha
BACKGROUND Anaemia is considered the most common nutritional deficiency disorder globally. It is common in preschool children, adolescent girls and women in reproductive age. In the present study, we have attempted to find out the prevalence of anaemia in asymptomatic individuals who came for annual health check-up wherein the study comprised more of adult males than females. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and types of anaemia in asymptomatic adult population from rural area in Warangal. MATERIALS AND METHODS This was a prospective study done over a period of two years from January 2017 to December 2018. Patients who had come for routine Master Health Check-up and in whom incidentally anaemia was detected were selected for the study and the type and severity of anaemia were categorized. The age of study group ranged from 20 years to 60 years. Haemoglobin estimation and peripheral smear findings were noted, and anaemia was categorized. RESULTS A total of 8800 cases had undergone annual health check-up in the study period of which incidental anaemia was detected in 1320 (15%) cases. These 1320 cases were studied for the severity and type of anaemia. There were 948 males and 372 females. The male to female ratio was 2.5:1. Among males, mild anaemia was more common (76%) as compared to females where moderate category was more common (58%). Among the peripheral smears, microcytic hypochromic anaemia was the most common type followed by the normocytic normochromic type. CONCLUSION The prevalence of anaemia in supposedly ‘healthy’ asymptomatic individuals was 15%. Mild anaemia is a common problem in adult males and females that goes unrecognized. All such cases require further studies to find out the exact cause for anaemia. Regular health check-ups are essential even in asymptomatic individuals and simple basic investigations are useful to detect anaemia in earlier stages so that early treatment intervention can be done.
