Study On Peadiatric Anemia In Out Patient Department At A Tertiary Care Centre, Rajkot, Gujarat, India

Background: Anemia is one of the most common hematological abnormalities found in newborns and children. It leads to increased morbidity and mortality, neurological complications, risk of low birth weight, infection, and heart failure. Pediatricanemia is one of the major health problems in India and in many parts of the world, as it results in reduced exercise tolerance, slower rate of growth, impaired development and cognition, and delayed wound healing. Anemic children are also at a higher risk of death due to complications associated with malnutrition and infection. Aims and Objectives:To evaluate the clinical features and the basic hematological parameters of anemia in infants and children, in the age group of 6 months to 14 years. To study the morphological patterns of different types of anemia on peripheral smear & correlate with corresponding clinical presentation. Materials and Methods: A prospective study was conducted among the pediatric patients who attended the pediatric clinic between August 2024 to July 2025. Their blood samples were collected in Out Patient Department Laboratory (OPD), Pathology, PDU Medical College and Hospital, Rajkot, Gujarat, India. 2 Millilitre(ml) of venous blood was collected in EthyleneDiaminetetraAcetic acid EDTA vials from pediatric patients who attended pediatric clinic. The blood was subjected to complete haemogram and peripheral blood smear and evaluated. Result: Total 3000 pediatric samples were received out of which 1640(54.67%) were having anemia. Out of which 953(58.11%) were male patients and 687(41.89%) were female patients. Most commonly affected age group of pediatric patients is 6 months to 2 years, total 455 cases(27.74%). According to blood indices and peripheral smear examinations hypochromic microcytic anemia (975 cases) (59.45%) was the most commonest type of anemia seen in pediatric population. Conclusion: Hypochromic microcytic anemia was found to be the most common cause of anemia in pediatric patients this study. Identifiction of etiologies of anemia can be helpful in defining diagnostic and therapeutic strategies, which contributes toward the better management of patients.