Nutritional Status in Children with Beta Thalassemia: A Systematic Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26463/rjns.12_1_7Keywords:
Thalassemia, Children, Adolescents, Nutrition, Body mass index, Food recordAbstract
Thalassemia is a hereditary disorder characterized by defective hemoglobin production. Chronic nature of thalassemia has impact on health status of children suffering with it. Nutritional deficiency is one of the consequences of the disease. The present systematic review was undertaken to assess the nutritional status of children suffering with thalassemia. The literature search was done using various data bases. PRISMA guidelines were followed to extract, synthesize and report the findings. Total of nine studies conducted between 2003-2017 and met the selection criteria were included in the review. The findings revealed that out of 1505 participants, majority of children with beta thalassemia were suffering with one or other form of nutritional deficiencies. Micronutrient deficiencies were prevalent in majority of the subjects. Further, the overall nutritional status of these children was found to be poor when compared to their age and gender matched counterparts.
The nutritional status of thalassemic children is considered to be poor when compared to their normal counterparts. Measures such as nutritional counseling, nutritional supplements, periodical evaluation of health status, and proper screening to improve the nutritional well-being of thalassemic children are needed.
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