Prevalence of iron deficiency and iron-deficiency anaemia in Benin

Iron status, haemoglobinopathies and malarial infection were assessed in a representative sample of 2,968 subjects living in three rural districts and two urban districts of South Benin. Iron deficiency, defined by two or more abnormal values in the 4 independent indicators of iron status used (transferrin saturation, erythrocyte protoporphyrin, serum ferritin and mean corpuscular volume) was present in 31% of subjects. Anaemia (according to WHO references values) was found in 73.6% of them. Fifty-two percent of anaemias were associated with biochemical evidence of iron deficiency. Prevalence of iron deficiency and iron-deficiency anaemia was higher in children and menstruating women. There was no difference between rural and urban groups, except for children 73–168 months old, in whom the prevalence was higher in the rural group. Sickle cell trait was present in 21% of subjects and Plasmodium falciparum trophozoites were found in the blood of 96.5% of subjects. The frequency of anaemia was not correlated with the degree of malarial infection nor to the type of haemoglobin.