Abstract
Background: Anaemia is a critical public health problem affecting all incomes country. Globally, 39.8% of children aged 6-59 months are affected of which the WHO African Region accounts for 60.2% of that prevalence. Even though the global prevalence of anaemia in children below five has slowly decreased over the years as per WHO, in Côte d`Ivoire, 72% of the children aged 6-59 months were anaemic in 2019 and the prevalence remains high. In terms of malnutrition, the national prevalence is 6.8%. This research study aims to highlight the nutritional and socio-demographic parameters observed in twin pairs diagnosed with anaemia in the Western part of Côte d`Ivoire, in order to raise public awareness and recommend baselines for future public health strategy of care concerning children of the same age group.
Methods: We recruited 65 male and female children, aged 3 months to 6 years in 8 villages of the Tonkpi Region from March 2020 to May 2021. A questionnaire including anthropometry was used to screen for malnutrition and venous blood samples with a FBC to diagnose and characterize anaemia. Univariate analysis (Chi-2 test (χ2) and P: (Probability) were used for comparison between groups while multivariate analysis was used for the risk factors. Significant test was considered at a threshold of 0.05.
Results: From 65 children who completed the study, 52.3% were female versus 47.7% male. Thirteen amongst them were a set of pair twins (10(38.5%) male and 16(61.5%) female). Five sets were homozygotes and eight heterozygotes. Parents were predominantly either housewives 30 (46.2%) or farmers 25 (38.5%). Overall prevalence of anaemia was 41(63.1%) including 14 (34.1%) twins of which 19 (46.4%) was mild, 21(51.2%) moderate and 1(2.4%) severe. Twin pairs expressed equal proportion of mild and moderate anaemia (26.9%) with no severe case observed. Normochromic microcytic anaemia was the predominant form (23.1%) followed by hypochromic microcytic anaemia (19,2%). The high majority of twins 22 (84.6%) were on family meals and 4 (15.4%) on mixed feeding. Malnourished twin pairs aged 0-59 months were sixteen (61.5%) of which 13(81.2%) had moderate acute malnutrition and 3(18.8%) severe acute malnutrition. There was no significant difference related to the intensity of the malnutrition in terms of age group (0-59 months: 7(26.9%) versus 59 months to 6 years: 9(34.6%).
Conclusion: Normochromic microcytic was the predominant (23.1%) form of anaemia amongst the twins with 84.6% of them being on family meals, 15.4% on mixed feeding and none on breastfeeding regiment. Twin pairs children aged 0-59 months were almost equally affected (anaemic) as those of 59 months to 6 years’ (12 (46.2%) vs 14 (53.9%).