AbstractPrevalence of anemia in India is among the highest in the world. Prevalence is higher among pregnant women and preschool children. More than half of women of reproductive age group in Indiaare anemic. While anemia disproportionately affects underprivileged groups, it is not known how the patterns of disparities in anemia have changed over time.The present study was open study comprising of 500 anemic patients selected randomly, to screen for various patterns and severity of anemia and study clinical profile of anemia. The study revealed that anemia is more prevalent in certain high risk groups such as age group <35 years, female sex, rural population, those in below poverty line group, vegetarians, and those with low BMI. As it is impractical to screen an entire population nationwide we can aim to screen these risk groups which will be more cost effective.
Keywords: Anemia; Pregnant; Reproductive Age; Below Poverty Line; Vegetarians.