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Anemia And It's Associated Factors Among Adolescents In Kuwait, Lemia Shaban, Abdullah Al-Taiar, Abdur Rahman, Reem Al-Sabah, Olusegun Mojiminiyi

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

We estimated the prevalence of anemia among school children and investigated factors associated with this problem in Kuwait. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 1415 adolescents randomly selected from middle schools in Kuwait. Hemoglobin, iron, ferritin, folate and vitamin B-12, in addition to many other laboratory indicators, were measured in a venous blood sample. Data on risk factors for anemia were collected from parents and adolescents. Multiple logistic regression was used to investigate factors associated with anemia. The prevalence of anemia was 8.06% (95% CI: 6.69-9.60%), which was significantly higher among females compared to males (10.96% vs. 5.04%; p < 0.001). Mean (SD) Hb level was 133.7 (9.89) g/L and 130.00 (10.48) g/L among males and females, respectively (p < 0.001). The prevalence of mild, moderate and severe anemia was 5.94%, 1.91% and 0.21%, respectively. Gender, age, iron concentration and ferritin were associated with anemia in multivariable analysis. These data indicate that anemia among school children in Kuwait is of mild public health significance. Further reduction in anemia in school girls should focus on correcting iron deficiency. Surveillance systems for anemia may consider using a cut-off point that is specific for the method of blood sampling and the method of Hb measurement.

The Impact Of Delayed Treatment Of Uncomplicated P. Falciparum Malaria On Progression To Severe Malaria: A Systematic Review And A Pooled Multicentre Individual-Patient Meta-Analysis, Andria Mousa, Abdullah Al-Taiar, Nicholas M. Anstey, Cyril Badaut, Bridget E. Barber, Quique Bassat, Joseph D. Challenger, Aubrey J. Cunnington, Dibyadyuti Datta, Chris Drakeley, Azra C. Ghani, Victor R. Gordeuk, Matthew J. Grigg, Pierre Hugo, Chandy C. John, Alfredo Mayor, Florence Migot-Nabias, Robert O. Opoka, Geoffrey Pasvoi, Claire Rees, Hugh Reyburn, Eleanor M. Riley, Binal N. Shah, Antonio Sitoe, Colin J. Sutherland, Philip E. Thuma, Stefan A. Unger, Firmine Viwami, Michael Walther, Christopher J.M. Whitty, Timothy William, Lucy C. Okell

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Delay in receiving treatment for uncomplicated malaria (UM) is often reported to increase the risk of developing severe malaria (SM), but access to treatment remains low in most high-burden areas. Understanding the contribution of treatment delay on progression to severe disease is critical to determine how quickly patients need to receive treatment and to quantify the impact of widely implemented treatment interventions, such as 'test-and-treat' policies administered by community health workers (CHWs). We conducted a pooled individual-participant meta-analysis to estimate the association between treatment delay and presenting with SM.

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