Iron Deficiency and Iron Deficiency Anemia in Adolescent Girls in Rural Upper Egypt

Background: Iron deficiency (ID) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in adolescents tends to increase with age due to acceleration of growth.

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of ID and IDA in adolescent girls in rural Upper Egypt.

Methods: 912 girls in 5 different village preparatory schools situated in El-Minya governorate at Upper Egypt were enrolled in the study. Complete blood count and serum ferritin were done to determine the prevalence of ID and IDA among them.

Results: Our study revealed 39.9% of the girls were anemic, the prevalence of IDA was 30.2% and that of ID without anemia was 11.4%.

Conclusions: ID, with or without anemia is still a major health problem in adolescent girls living in rural Upper Egypt.