Iron deficiency and anemia appear to be an important public health problem among children less than 5 years old at public daycare centers in Recife. Therefore, effective actions aimed at the prevention and control of this deficiency are strongly recommended in this ecological context.

IntroduçãoA anemia tem sido definida como a redução patológica da concentração de hemoglobina (Hb) circulante, desencadeada por mecanismos fisiopatológicos diversos.1 A anemia é o problema hematológico mais comumente encontrado nos indivíduos idosos. Beghé et al, 2 em sua revisão sobre o tema, encontraram uma grande variação da prevalência de anemia, entre os estudos realizados com a população idosa, com cifras oscilando entre 2,9% a 61,0%, em homens, e 3,3% a 41,0%, em mulheres.Os tipos de anemia mais prevalentes nesse grupo populacional são a anemia por doença crônica (ADC) e anemia por deficiência de ferro (ADF).3 Pesquisas recentes, envolvendo idosos americanos, demonstraram que as prevalências de ADF têm sido superadas pelas prevalências da ADC, neste grupo populacional.3,4 A diferenciação entre anemia de doenças crônicas e deficiência de ferro deve ser cuidadosamente investigada em pacientes idosos. O diagnósti-co diferencial da anemia, com o objetivo de caracterizar o tipo de anemia na população idosa, poderá ser realizado com exames clínicos e laboratoriais que incluam os indicadores

Objective: To assess nutritional iron status and anemia prevalence in children less than 5 years old at public daycare centers in the city of Recife, PE, Brazil. Methods:A cross-sectional study, with a systematic random sampling of 162 children aged 6 to 59 months.Nutritional iron status was assessed in terms of body iron reserves (serum ferritin), transferrinemia (serum iron, total iron binding capacity, and transferrin saturation %), erythropoiesis (free erythrocyte protoporphyrin) and hemoglobin production (hemoglobin). Results:The prevalence of anemia (hemoglobin < 11.0 g/dL) was 55.6% (95%CI 47.3-63.5), evidence was found of depleted iron stocks (serum ferritin < 12.0 ng/mL) in 30.8% (95%CI 22.9-39.3), low transferrinemia levels (transferrin saturation % < 16) in 60.1% (95%CI 51.7-68.0) and deficient erythropoiesis (free erythrocyte protoporphyrin > 40 µmol/mol heme) in 69.6% (95%CI 61.0-77.1) of the children. Iron parameters were not correlated with sex (p > 0.05). However, children < 24 months exhibited lower hemoglobin concentrations (p < 0.00) and higher levels of free erythrocyte protoporphyrin (p < 0.000) and total iron binding capacity (p < 0.001) when compared with children > 24 months. The significant correlation observed between reserves, transferrinemia and erythropoiesis is a finding that is compatible with the expected lifecycle of iron in the body. Conclusions:Iron deficiency and anemia appear to be an important public health problem among children less than 5 years old at public daycare centers in Recife. Therefore, effective actions aimed at the prevention and control of this deficiency are strongly recommended in this ecological context. (Rio J). 2007;83(4):370-376 Anemia, iron deficiency, hemoglobin, serum ferritin, serum iron, total iron binding capacity, transferrin saturation, free erythrocyte protoporphyrin, preschool children. J Pediatr

These findings suggest that early menarche did not influence weight, abdominal obesity and serum lipids in the final stage of sexual maturation.

.