Browsing by Author "Omary, Salha A."

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    Prevalence of anaemia, severity, and morphological classification among children aged 2 to 59 months attending paediatric outpatient clinics in Temeke municipal, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
    (Hubert Kairuki Memorial University, 2022) Omary, Salha A.
    Background: Anaemia is a significant secondary clinical diagnosis among children less than five years of age. However, there is a paucity of findings on morphological characteristics and severity of anaemia among children aged 2 to 59 months in Tanzania. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of anaemia, severity, and morphological classification among children aged 2 to 59 months attending paediatric outpatient clinics in Temeke Regional Referral Hospital (TRRH) and Mbagala Rangi tatu, Dar es Salaam. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional health facility-based study was conducted among children aged 2 to 59 months in the above-mentioned facilities in Temeke Municipality. Data on the demographic, clinical history, and complete blood count results were collected among the participants. Data were analysed using SPSS version 20. Results: A total of 250 children were enrolled in the study. The male: female ratio was 1:1. The median age of children was 18 (IQR: 9-35) months. Two thirds (67%) of children had anaemia whereby mild, moderate and severe anaemia were (n=50, 20%); (n=85, 34%); and n=32, 12.8% respectively. The most common morphological classification was normocytic normochromic anaemia (48%) followed by microcytic hypochromic anaemia (13.6%) Conclusions: Anaemia was prevalent in this study population. Almost half of the study participants had normocytic normochromic anaemia and one-third had moderate anaemia. Recommendations: To prevent the detrimental effect of anaemia in children, routine screening and determination of the causes of anemia should be a priority at all primary health care facilities. Health information and education sessions need to be emphasized. Short and long -term effects of anaemia in children needs to be addressed accordingly.