Prevalence of anaemia and iron deficiency in Portugal: the EMPIRE study

Background Anaemia and iron deficiency are major public health problems with great implications on quality of life. Aims To establish the general prevalence of anaemia and iron deficiency in the adult Portuguese population and the prevalence by age, gender and region. Methods This was a population‐based, cross‐sectional study (EMPIRE study) based on a representative sample of 7980 adults residing in mainland Portugal, which were selected using a random route sampling method. Levels of haemoglobin, ferritin, creatinine and C‐reactive protein were measured by Point‐of‐Care assays; participants also completed a questionnaire about demography and medical history. Results The measured prevalence of anaemia was 19.9% (95% confidence interval: 19.0–20.8%); 84% of cases were previously undiagnosed. Anaemia was more prevalent among women (20.8%), young adults (18−34 years) (22.8–30.5%), older adults (21.0%), and pregnant women (54.2%). Anaemia varied across regions: from 15.5% in the Center region to 24.9% in the South. Iron deficiency was also highly prevalent: 16.7% (ferritin