ANEMIA: DIAGNOSIS AND MANAGEMENT

J Pediatr Health Care,November 1, 2005; 19(6): 380-5.

Anemia is a pathologic condition produced by a decrease in red blood cell mass or a decrease in the amount of hemoglobin. Anemia is a common occurrence in the United States. Children from some ethnic groups have a higher incidence of anemia, but anemia also can affect overweight children and children with chronic illnesses. Iron-deficiency anemia, which is the most common cause of anemia and can produce long-term developmental outcomes, continues to be prevalent in some groups of children. This article will review the procedures for taking a history, determining the etiology, and providing initial treatment for the anemia.

In the United States, there are currently 35000000 people 65 years or older, of whom approximately 10% are anemic, and it is estimated that the number of elderly will double by the year 2030. Because the prevalence of anemia, like that of other hematologic disorders, increases with age,1 substantial expansion of the oldest segment of our population has profound implications for public health and preventive and restorative medicine. Anemia, of course, can no longer be considered as merely a disease marker. Rather, it appears to have an independent deleterious influence on disease-related morbidity, mortality, and quality of life.2 Furthermore, although blood transfusion is .