The First Model-Based Geostatistical Map of Anaemia
PLoS Medicine 8(6): e1001039, 07 June 2011
Abdisalan M. Noor
“Anaemia is the most common blood disorder globally, is a major underlying cause of death among children and pregnant women in the developing world, and because it is most prevalent in the poorest communities, represents a useful marker of social and economic marginalization. The aetiology of anaemia is often multi-factorial including nutritional deficiencies, parasitic and inflammatory diseases, haemorrhage, and genetic defects in the molecular structure of the haemoglobin (Hb). Many of these risk factors for anaemia co-exist in communities and affect individuals in composite ways not adequately understood. In Africa three dominant contributors to anaemia in young children are malaria, helminth infections, and iron-deficient diets. To date, only national-level estimates of anaemia burden developed by the World Health Organization are available to guide control. There are limited data on within-country variations and no detailed information on the uncertainty around these estimates or on the combination of causal factors important to a country.”
In some conditions, red blood cells mature and are destroyed by the body too quickly. This type of anaemia is called haemolytic anaemia and is often caused by an inherited condition, such as sickle cell anaemia. Blood cells may be destroyed by mechanical devices implanted in the body such as heart valves.