IRON DEFICIENCY ANEMIA AND MALNUTRITION IN PEDIATRICS IN SAUDI ARABIA: A REVIEW ARTICLE

Anemia remains a global health problem in the 21stcentury. Iron deficiency anemia is the most common type. Childrenare especially vulnerable to the detrimental health consequences of anemia including fatigability, predisposition to repeated infections, and cognitive impairment. Iron deficiency anemia is considered the most prevalent type of nutritional anemia. Insufficient dietary iron intake, decreased iron absorption, and excess iron loss can cause iron deficiency.Accordingly, malnutrition plays a role in the prevalence of iron deficiency anemia. Saudi Arabia is now in advanced nutrition transition, which means the rates of obesity are high together with malnutrition. In this review, we shed light on the prevalence of iron deficiency anemia among the pediatric population of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We also focus on the burden of malnutrition and its association with anemia, and evaluate the strategies needed to combat these health problems. Further research all over the Kingdom is needed to expose the full magnitude of anemia. Monitoring of the implementation of the previously existing health programs is needed.