[The prevalence of anemia in the children and adolescents of Madrid].

Iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia are very important disorders in childhood because, during this stage of life, the confluence of different factors can lead to iron deficiency. During childhood, there are rapid growth periods in which the need for iron increases and these needs are not always compensated for by a sufficient iron intake. We have studied a sample of 2,224 schoolchildren, both males and females, between the ages of 2 and 18 years, from five different schools in the Community of Madrid. The prevalence of anemia was studied by determining the hemoglobin, MCV and MCHC, whereas iron deficiency was assessed by measurement of serum iron. In our study population, the prevalence of iron deficiency was 4.94% and the rate of iron deficiency anemia was 0.94%. This disorder is predominant in 13 to 15 year olds (3.7% of the males and 3.53% of the females showed hemoglobin values below the reference range). In addition 6.73% of this group were iron deficient. The MCV was decreased in 2.69% of the subjects, after the exclusion of six children with thalassemia trait.