Abstract
Objectives
To assess iodine and iron nutritional status among Nepalese school children.
Methods
A cross-sectional, community based study was conducted in the two districts, Ilam (hilly region) and Udayapur (plain region) of eastern Nepal. A total of 759 school children aged 6–13 y from different schools within the study areas were randomly enrolled. A total of 759 urine samples and 316 blood samples were collected. Blood hemoglobin level, serum iron, total iron binding capacity and urinary iodine concentration was measured. Percentage of transferrin saturation was calculated using serum iron and total iron binding capacity values.
Results
The mean level of hemoglobin, serum iron, total iron binding capacity, transferrin saturation and median urinary iodine excretion were 12.29 ± 1.85 g/dl, 70.45 ± 34.46 μg/dl, 386.48 ± 62.48 μg/dl, 19.94 ± 12.07 % and 274.67 μg/L respectively. Anemia, iron deficiency and iodine deficiency (urinary iodine excretion <100 μg/L) were present in 34.5 %, 43.4 % and 12.6 % children respectively. Insufficient urinary iodine excretion (urinary iodine excretion <100 μg/L) was common in anemic and iron deficient children.
Conclusions
Iron deficiency and anemia are common in Nepalese children, whereas, iodine nutrition is more than adequate. Low urinary iodine excretion was common in iron deficiency and anemia.
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Acknowledgments
The authors kindly acknowledge the B P Koirala Institute of Health Sciences (BPKIHS) for providing financial assistance and resources for the study.
Contributions
SK, ML, BG, AKN and NB designed the study. SK, BG and SG performed the field study and laboratory analysis. SK wrote the manuscript. ML, BG, AKN, DB and NB reviewed the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final version of manuscript. NB will act as guarantor for this paper.
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Source of Funding
This study was supported by Nepal India Corpus fund through the Institute Advisory Authority of B P Koirala Institute of Health Sciences (BPKIHS).
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Khatiwada, S., Lamsal, M., Gelal, B. et al. Anemia, Iron Deficiency and Iodine Deficiency among Nepalese School Children. Indian J Pediatr 83, 617–621 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12098-015-1924-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12098-015-1924-y