Prevalence of iron deficiency due to menorrhagia in an educational institution in the area of health in Colombia

Prevalencia de ferropenia por menorragia en una institución educativa del área de la salud en Colombia

Menorrhagia is the most frequent cause of iron deficiency in women of reproductive age. Objective: to describe the prevalence of iron deficiency in students of the health area older than 18 years and who had not been detected. Materials and Methods: 154 medical students (age range: 18 to 36 years) were administered the questionnaire PBAC (stands for pictorial table for the estimation of menstrual bleeding). The presence of iron deficiency anemia and ferritin levels with absolute and relative frequencies are described. Results: ferropenia was detected in 15% (serum <15 ug / L), 3.25% menorrhagia (menstrual bleeding> 80 ml per cycle) and anemia in 2% (hemoglobin <12 g / dL). Conclusion: high prevalence of iron deficiency was observed. It is necessary to study the causes with programs that include promotion and evaluation of eating habits in the student population. In our study, the tool was not useful. Abbreviations: PBAC, pictorial table for estimating menstrual bleeding.

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