Anemia Review Articles
Anemia affects a third of the world’s population and contributes to increased
morbidity and mortality, decreased work productivity, and impaired neurological development. Understanding anemia’s varied and complex etiology is crucial for developing effective interventions that address the context-specific causes of
anemia and for monitoring
anemia control programs. We outline definitions and classifications of anemia, describe the biological mechanisms through which
anemia develops, and review the variety of conditions that contribute to
anemia development. We emphasize the risk factors most prevalent in low- and middle-income countries, including nutritional deficiencies, infection/inflammation, and genetic hemoglobin disorders. Recent work has furthered our understanding of anemia’s complex etiology, including the proportion of
anemia caused by iron deficiency (ID) and the role of
inflammation and infection. The evidence for accumulating indicates that the proportion of
anemia due to ID differs by
infectious disease burden, geographical setting, and the population group, prevalence of other
anemia causes. Further research is needed to explore the role of additional nutritional deficiencies, the contribution of infectious and chronic disease, as well as the importance of genetic hemoglobin disorders in certain populations. We reviewed the peer-reviewed literature on definitions and classifications of anemia, global magnitude and
epidemiology of anemia, and causes of anemia, including their biological mechanisms and public
health significance
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