Characteristics of Anemia in Young Children: A Study from a Pediatric Hospital in Lisbon, Portugal

Abstract Background Anemia in young children is a serious public health issue. This condition negatively affects cognitive and psychomotor development, impacting school performance and adult productivity. Despite its importance, there is limited evidence on the prevalence and characteristics of anemia in young children in Portugal. Therefore, we carried out this study to characterize the profile of children aged 6 months to 5 years diagnosed with or at risk of anemia while attending consultations at a pediatric tertiary hospital in Lisbon, Portugal. Methods From September 2023 to September 2024, we conducted a hospital-based, cross-sectional descriptive study at Dona Estefânia Hospital, collecting data from children aged 6 months to 5 years diagnosed with or at risk of anemia who attended pediatric consultations. Hemoglobin (Hb) cut-offs were defined as follows: Hb < 10.5 g/dL for anemia in children aged 6-23 months, and Hb ≤ 11.4 g/dL for anemia or risk of anemia in children aged 24-59 months. Mean corpuscular volume (MCV) thresholds were defined as follows: for children aged 6-23 months, microcytic MCV was < 70 fL, normocytic 70-86 fL, and macrocytic > 86 fL; for those aged 24-59 months, microcytic was < 75 fL, normocytic 75-87 fL, and macrocytic > 87 fL. Results We observed that 33.3% (74/222) of the children were either anemic or at risk of developing anemia. Among these children, 63.1% presented microcytic indices(41/65), 32.3% were normocytic (21/65), and 4.6 % macrocytic (3/65). Anemia rates were higher among male children, those aged 24 months to 5 years, those whose caregivers had a low level of education, and those whose mothers were from the Community of Portuguese Language (CPLP) Countries. Key messages • Childhood anemia poses a moderate public health issue in Lisbon, Portugal. • Factors like the child's sex, caregiveŕs education level, and the maternal countr’s origin may influence anemia risk and require further research.