990 Pak J Med Sci 2010 Vol. 26 No. 4 www.pjms.com.pk Review Article Risks associated with mild Anemia in apparently healthy individuals: How to combat Anemia in general population Tanveer Jilani 1 , Mohammad Perwaiz Iqbal 2 ABSTRACT Mild grade anemia in adult population is defined as a blood hemoglobin concentration between 10.00 to 12.9 g/dl in males or between 10.00 to 11.9 g/dl in non-pregnant females. Mildly anemic but apparently healthy subjects are commonly found in general population. Such individuals are at a greater risk of not being sufficiently investigated for the underlying disease and may end up with serious morbidity and health problems such as, diminished cardiovascular responses, compromised physical activity, poor cognitive function and growth retardation in children, and increased risk of falls and fractures and 5-year all cause mortality rates among elderly people. Nutritional deficiencies, chronic diseases, recurrent infections and aging are the major causes of mild anemia. The best approach to combat mild anemia in general population of a developing country would be through initiation of food fortification program, creating more awareness among people about the benefits of dietary diversification, use of fresh fruits and green leafy vegetables and adopting measures such as, frequent hand washing and use of boiled water for drinking to avoid common infections. KEY WORDS: Anaemia, General population. Pak J Med Sci October - December 2010 Vol. 26 No. 4 990-994 How to cite this article: Jilani T, Iqbal MP. Risks associated with mild Anemia in apparently healthy individuals: How to combat Anemia in general population. Pak J Med Sci 2010;26(4):990-994 1. Tanveer Jilani, 2. Mohammad Perwaiz Iqbal, 1-2: Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan. Correspondence: Dr. Tanveer Jilani, Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Aga Khan University, Stadium Road, P.O. Box-3500, Karachi, Pakistan. E-mail: tanveer.jilani@aku.edu * Received for Publication: April 19, 2010 * Accepted: July 5, 2010 INTRODUCTION Anemia continues to be a major public health problem worldwide, particularly among growing children, females of reproductive age and elderly people, especially in the developing countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that anemia affects approximately 1.62 billion people worldwide, corresponding to 24.8% of the human population. 1 The causes of anemia are diverse and multifacto- rial, but among the leading etiologies in the devel- oping countries are: nutritional deficiencies (espe- cially of iron, folate and vitamin B12), chronic or acute blood loss, inherited genetic defects (e.g. thalas- semia), chronic diseases and/ or inflammatory dis- orders, malaria, parasitic infestations (e.g. hook- worm), hemolytic disorders, drug-induced hemoly- sis or marrow suppression or it may be unexplained. 2 Definitions of anemia and mild-grade anemia: According to the WHO reference criteria, anemia is said to be present in an adult, if the blood hemoglo- bin concentration falls below 13.0 g/dl in men or below 12.0 g/dl in non-pregnant women or below 11.0 g/dl in pregnant women. 3,4 However, reference range for normal blood hemoglobin levels may vary in individuals depending on the age, gender, race, geographical location and food habits of the study population. 5 Anemia is classified according to its severity as: mild, moderate and severe. Mild-grade anemia in an adult population is defined as a blood hemoglobin