Zheng Wenshuai, Peng Bo, Wu Yamei, Gauan Lixun, Wang Shenyu, Ning Hongmei
Department of Hematology, Hainan Hospital of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Sanya, Hainan, China.
Senior Department of Hematology, The Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China.
Front Nutr. 2025 Jul 28;12:1588496. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1588496. eCollection 2025.
Anemia remains a significant global health challenge, disproportionately affecting women of reproductive age (WRA, 15 to 49 years) due to physiological and socioeconomic factors. However, there is a lack of high-quality data on anemia burden and causes analysis in this population. The aim of this study is to provide a comprehensive global assessment of anemia burden and its underlying causes among WRA.
Using data from the Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) 2021, we evaluated the prevalence, years lived with disability (YLDs), and underlying causes of anemia among WRA at global, regional, and national levels. We also evaluated the association between anemia burden and the socio-demographic index (SDI), quantified temporal trends of anemia burden from 1990 to 2021, and projected future burden to 2030.
Globally in 2021, there were 657.09 million (95% uncertainty interval [UI]: 643.59 to 671.22) anemia cases and 18.07 million (95% UI: 12.00 to 26.17) YLDs among WRA. The global age-standardized prevalence rates (ASPR) and YLDs rates per 100,000 were 33,716.77 (95% UI: 33,023.84 to 34,441.71) and 927.03 (95% UI: 615.40 to 1,342.99) in 2021, and they decreased by 0.181% and 0.539% annually from 1990 to 2021, respectively. However, the decline in ASPR stagnated after 2009, with a slight increase observed through 2021, primarily driven by rising mild anemia. An inverse relationship existed between SDI and anemia burden across regions and nations. The most common causes of anemia were dietary iron deficiency, hemoglobinopathies and hemolytic anemias, and other neglected tropical diseases, with HIV/AIDS and malaria being most prominent in specific regions. Projections indicate anemia cases and YLD counts will rise consistently from 2022 to 2030, while ASPR and age-standardized YLD rates will decline.
Anemia among WRA is a major public health burden worldwide with persistent regional and socioeconomic disparities. Mitigating this burden requires continued efforts addressing underlying causes, reducing socioeconomic inequities, and improving access to healthcare and nutritional interventions.
贫血仍然是一项重大的全球健康挑战，由于生理和社会经济因素，对育龄妇女（15至49岁）的影响尤为严重。然而，关于这一人群贫血负担和病因分析的高质量数据匮乏。本研究的目的是对育龄妇女的贫血负担及其潜在病因进行全面的全球评估。
利用《2021年全球疾病负担研究》（GBD 2021）的数据，我们在全球、区域和国家层面评估了育龄妇女贫血的患病率、残疾生活年数（YLDs）及其潜在病因。我们还评估了贫血负担与社会人口指数（SDI）之间的关联，量化了1990年至2021年贫血负担的时间趋势，并预测了到2030年的未来负担。
2021年全球范围内，育龄妇女中有6.5709亿例贫血病例（95%不确定区间[UI]：6.4359亿至6.7122亿）和1807万例残疾生活年数（95% UI：1200万至2617万）。2021年全球年龄标准化患病率（ASPR）和每10万人的残疾生活年数率分别为33716.77（95% UI：33023.84至34441.71）和927.03（95% UI：615.40至1342.99），从1990年到2021年，它们分别以每年0.181%和0.539%的速度下降。然而，年龄标准化患病率的下降在2009年后停滞，到2021年略有上升，主要是由轻度贫血的增加所致。在各区域和国家中，社会人口指数与贫血负担之间存在负相关关系。贫血最常见的病因是膳食铁缺乏、血红蛋白病和溶血性贫血以及其他被忽视的热带病，在特定区域，艾滋病毒/艾滋病和疟疾最为突出。预测表明，从2022年到2030年，贫血病例数和残疾生活年数将持续上升，而年龄标准化患病率和年龄标准化残疾生活年数率将下降。
育龄妇女贫血是全球主要的公共卫生负担，存在持续的区域和社会经济差异。减轻这一负担需要持续努力解决潜在病因、减少社会经济不平等，并改善获得医疗保健和营养干预措施的机会。
