'Anaemia a preventable health threat in girls, women in India'

Anaemia is a very common yet preventable threat among girls and women in India said health experts on SundayA deficiency of healthy red blood cells or haemoglobin needed to carry oxygen to the bodys tissues raises the risk of anaemia The condition is more common among women and girls Lack of a proper ironrich diet particularly among women in their reproductive age can result in tiredness weakness and shortness of breath the experts notedAccording to the National Family Health Survey 5 NFHS5 201921 25 per cent of men aged 1549 years and 57 per cent of women aged 1549 years suffer from anaemiaAnaemia is a very common and another rampant problem in Indian ladies especially due to intake of a diet low in iron and sometimes it is genetically determined also A vegetarian diet is quite low in iron and hence supplements are necessaryrdquo Dr M Wali Senior Consultant Department of Medicine Sir Ganga Ram Hospital saidPregnancy increases the requirement of iron and also lactation so these two conditions are particular to the females he addedThe doctor further noted that anaemia is prevalent in both rural and urban women in IndiaMost Indian urban women who are dieting to reduce weight become deficient and rural women because of hard work increased requirements increased loss of the menstrual blood due to infection or otherwise repeated childbirth so all these causes lead to lack of blood or anaemia Dr Wali saidThe NFHS data shows that anaemia is also highly prevalent among young adolescent boys 31 per cent and adolescent girls 59 per cent aged between 15 and 19 years as well as in pregnant women 522 per cent between 15 and 49 years and also in small children 67 per cent aged between 6 months and below 5 yearsCommon indicators of anaemia include fatigue pale complexion breathlessness dizziness and cold extremitiesAnaemia poses a significant health challenge in India especially for women as they are more prone to lower haemoglobin levels owing to their distinct physiological requirements including menstrual and pregnancyrelated blood loss Dr Rahul Bhargava Principal Director amp Chief BMT Fortis Memorial Research Institute Gurugram told IANSImportantly the health experts pointed out that the condition progresses slowly and discreetly and is difficult to detect The symptoms also tend to appear late They advised eating foods rich in iron or taking supplementsAnaemia is very difficult to detect most of the time it is slowly developing Symptoms like breathlessness an important symptom chest pain sometimes mistaken as heart pain difficulty in pregnancy palpitation headache and easy fatigability appear very late Dr Wali saidMany women quietly battle anaemia a preventable threat in India By promoting a balanced diet rich in iron advocating for accessible iron supplements available through government systems and emphasising regular screening we can empower women to combat anaemia and embrace healthier lives together Dr Ameet Babre National Programme Manager at Nutrition International told IANSThe most effective preventive measures against anaemia involve adopting an ironrich diet which includes lean meats poultry fish legumes tofu leafy greens like spinach and kale fortified cereals and nuts Dr Bhargava saidFruits like guava banana figs and pomegranate may also help combat anaemiaThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever