A report titled ‘Anaemia among men in India: A nationally representative cross-sectional study’ was published in the journal Lancet Global Health. The report was on anaemia in Indian men. The report mainly aimed to determining the prevalence of anaemia among men in India has found that 23.2 per cent of men had anaemia, ranging from mild to moderate to severe degrees. The study in detail are as follows,
Report:
i.Survey carried out from January, 2015, to December, 2016, among men aged 15–54 years and women aged 15–49 years in all 29 states and seven Union Territories of India.
ii.The highest prevalence among men was in Bihar (32.9%), West Bengal (30.46%), Jharkhand (30.3%), Meghalaya (29.13%) and Odisha (28.45%).
iii.The lowest prevalence among men was in Manipur (9.19%), followed by Mizoram (9.78%), Nagaland (10.23%), Goa (10.68%) and Kerala (11.77%).
iv.Severity: Prevalence of any anaemia was 23.2%, moderate-severe anaemia was 5.1%, while severe anaemia was 0.5%. 21.7% of men having anaemia had moderate-severe anaemia when compared with 53.2% of women.
v.One in 4 Indian men aged between 15-54 have anaemia. Men aged 20–34 years and men living in urban areas had the lowest probability of having any anaemia and moderate or severe anaemia.
vi.Anemia Mukt Bharat: In 2018, the govt. launched Anemia Mukt Bharat for tackling anaemia. It focuses on children, pregnant women, women of reproductive age and male and female adolescents. The report now has raised concerns for the scheme to consider men with anaemia too.
Anaemia:
- A condition in which the number of red blood cells or their oxygen-carrying capacity is insufficient to meet physiological needs.
- The condition is varying by age, sex, altitude, smoking, and pregnancy status.
- Cause: Iron deficiency (most common cause of anaemia globally), folate, vitamin B12 and vitamin A deficiencies, chronic inflammation, parasitic infections, and inherited disorders.
- Pregnant women and children are particularly vulnerable.
- Anemia can also be classified based on the size of the red blood cells and amount of hemoglobin in each cell.
- Microcytic anemia – The size of the cells is small.
- Normocytic anemia – The size of the cells is normal.
- Macrocytic anemia – The Size of the cells is large.
About Lancet:
Fact- The Lancet is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal. It is among the world’s oldest, most prestigious, and best known general medical journals.
Founded- 1823.
Founder- Thomas Wakley.
Sources:
https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/health/anaemia-among-men-a-major-public-health-problem/article29947163.ece
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(19)30440-1/fulltext
