Prevelance of anemia types and etiology in patients with anemia

Abstract

In this study, we aimed to determine the frequency and etiologic causes of anemia types in a university clinic who were diagnosed with anemia, whether there were differences in anemia types by gender difference, and the relation of anemia types according to age and comorbidity. A total of 250 patients were included in the study. Iron deficiency anemia alone in 151, B12 deficiency anemia alone in 18, folate deficiency anemia alone in 2, anemia of chronic diseases in 11 and mixed anemia in 65 cases were detected. Underlying etiology of the anemia cases were diagnosed in 173 (69%) of the patients, however, the etiology of the anemia remained unclear in 77 (31%) cases. Iron deficiency was more frequent in women than in men (p <0.001). Mixed anemia was detected in 65 patients. Of these, 41 (64%) had both iron deficiency and B12 deficiency anemia; 12 (18%) had both iron deficiency and folic acid deficiency; 4 (6%) had both B12 and folic acid deficiency; and i 8 (12%) had iron, B12 and folic acid deficiencies. The most common type of anemia is iron deficiency anemia and is more prevalent in women. However, the frequency of other types of anemia is too high to be underestimated. Informing the patients about the anemia and its complications can make these patients more willing to proceed with further examination and thus, early diagnosis and treatment can reduce morbidity and mortality.