The Incidence of Anemia in the Adult Working Population of Vojvodina

Abstract Background: Anemia is a global public health problem of endemic proportions, especially in women, and with serious health consequences. Anemia was defined according to the World Health Organization criteria as hemoglobin concentration <130 g/L for men and <120 g/L for women. The incidence of anemia varies between regions, so the aim of the study was to determine the incidence of anemia in a randomly selected sample of adult working individuals of both sexes, in Vojvodina. Methods: The study included a total of 6087 subjects (4658 men and 1429 non-pregnant women) aged 18-65 years who presented for a regular checkup at the Public Health Institute of Vojvodina. Blood specimen collection was performed by antecubital venipuncture in all subjects. Results: The results showed that the incidence of anemia in adults in Vojvodina was 7.7%, and it was more frequent in women (20%) than in men (3.86%). The most frequent was normocytic anemia, whereas microcytic anemia was less prevalent. Macrocytic anemia was found in only 3.3% of subjects, exclusively in women. The greatest proportion of anemic subjects, regardless of sex, had hemoglobin levels that indicated mild anemia (Hb 100-119 g/L for women, and 100-129 g/L for men). Only 4% of men and 12% of women had Hb levels that indicated the presence of moderate or severe anemia (≤100 g/L). Conclusions: Considering the medical, social and economic consequences anemia may produce, identification of risk factors and application of adequate preventive measures should be a public health priority. Kratak sadržaj Uvod: Anemija je globalan, problem u oblasti javnog zdrav- stva, endemskih razmera, naročito među ženskom popu- lacijom, sa ozbiljnim posledicama po zdravije. Prema kriteriju- mima Svetské zdravstvene organizacije, anemija je definisana kao koncentracija hemoglobina <130 g/L za muškarce i <120 g/L za žene. Njena incidenca varira od regiona do regiona, te je cilj rada bio da se utvrdi učestalost anemije u slučajnom uzorku odraslih zaposlenih osoba oba pola u Vojvodini. Metode: Istraživanje je sprovedeno u 6087 ispitanika (4658 muškaraca i 1429 žena koje nisu trudne) starosti 18-65 go- dina koji su se javili na periodični sistematski pregled u Insti- tutu za javno zdravlje Vojvodine. Svim ispitanicima je ante- kubitalnom venepunkcijom uzet uzorak krvi za određivanje krvne slike. Rezultati: Utvrđeno je da na teritoriji Vojvodine incidenca anemije kod odraslih iznosi 7,7%, pri čemu je ona učestalija među ženskom populacijom (20%) u odnosu na mušku po- pulaciju (3,86%). Među anemičnom odraslom populacijom najveća je bila zastupljenost normocitne anemije, a daleko manja mikrocitne anemije. Makrocitna anemija je bila zastu- pljena kod svega 3,3% ispitanika i to isključivo ženskog pola. U najvećem procentu anemičnih ispitanika u ovoj studiji, bez obzira na pol, vrednosti hemoglobina ukazuju na blaži stepen anemije (Hb 100-119 g/L za žene, odnosno 100-129 g/L za muškarce). Samo 4% muškaraca i 12% žena je imalo vred- nosti Hb koje ukazuju na prisustvo umereno teške ili teške anemije (i 100 g/L). Zaključak: S obzirom na zdravstvene, socijalne i ekonomske posledice do kojih malokrvnost može dovesti, identifikacija faktora rizika za pojavu anemije i primena odgovarajućih pre- ventivnih mera bi trebalo da budu u javnom zdravstvu.