Anemia in primary care: etiology and morphological characteristics

To find the morphological characteristics and causes of the types of anaemia seen at a primary care centre. Descriptive, observational study. Urban health centre. People attending for a year who had an anaemia defined by haemoglobin figures below 13 g/dl in males and 12 g/dl in women. 152 patients w...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Atención primaria 2000-03, Vol.25 (4), p.230-235
Main Authors: Farrús Palou, M, Pérez Ocaña, A, Mayer Pujadas, M A, Piquer Gibert, M, Mundet Tudurí, X, Iglesias Rodal, M
Format: Article
Language:Spanish
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Anemia - diagnosis
Anemia - etiology
Anemia, Hemolytic - diagnosis
Anemia, Hemolytic - etiology
Anemia, Iron-Deficiency - diagnosis
Anemia, Iron-Deficiency - etiology
Anemia, Refractory - diagnosis
Anemia, Refractory - etiology
Chronic Disease
Data Interpretation, Statistical
Diagnosis, Differential
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Primary Health Care
Thalassemia - diagnosis
Thalassemia - etiology
Urban Population
Vitamin B 12 Deficiency - diagnosis
Vitamin B 12 Deficiency - etiology
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Summary:To find the morphological characteristics and causes of the types of anaemia seen at a primary care centre. Descriptive, observational study. Urban health centre. People attending for a year who had an anaemia defined by haemoglobin figures below 13 g/dl in males and 12 g/dl in women. 152 patients with anaemia were identified. The most common types of anaemia were iron-deficiency anaemia (IDA), anaemia due to chronic illness (ACI) and post-haemorrhage anaemia (48%, 26.3% and 6.6%, respectively). Anaemia due to vitamin B12 deficit was detected in four patients, Thalassaemia minor in two, haemolytic anaemia in two, and a refractory anaemia in one patient. The most common cause of IDA was gynaecological in origin; and the commonest cause of ACI was neoplasm. The main findings of digestive origin in IDA were oesophagitis in two patients, duodenal ulcer in one, erosive gastritis in one, gastric neoplasm in one, colonic neoplasm in two and Crohn's disease in one. 13.7% of the anaemia studied in PC required hospital referral. Anaemia is a common health problem in primary care (PC), with a rough incidence of one case per month per doctor. Its main types are iron-deficiency anaemia and anaemia due to chronic illness. Most cases were detected in PC and most can be studied properly at this care level.
ISSN:0212-6567