Anemia is defined as a hemoglobin concentration below a specified cut-off point.^1,2

• Cut-off point depends on the age and gender, 
• Physiological status (pregnancy), 
• Smoking habits
• And altitude at which the population being assessed lives

Hemoglobin is the component of red blood cells that carries oxygen. When you are anemic, you have lower oxygen carrying capacity which causes symptoms.

Common Symptoms include fatigue, weakness, pallor, shortness of breath, lightheadedness. Anemia is commonly seen in women, pregnancy, and those with chronic diseases.

Anemia affects approximately 1.8 billion people worldwide.³

Early diagnosis of anemia and subsequent appropriate treatment could help reduce:

1. Anaemia. https://www.who.int/data/nutrition/nlis/info/anaemia. Accessed on May 9, 2025.
2. Combatting anaemia through improved measurement, diagnosis and reporting. Accessed on May 9, 2025.
3. Safiri S, Kolahi AA, Noori M, et al. Burden of anemia and its underlying causes in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019: results from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. J HematolOncol. 2021;14:185. 
4. Lopez A, Cacoub P, Macdougall IC, et al . Iron deficiency anaemia. Lancet. 2015;387(10021):907–916. 
5. GBD 2021 Anaemia Collaborators. Prevalence, years lived with disability, and trends in anaemia burden by severity and cause, 1990-2021: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. Lancet Haematol. 2023 Sep;10(9):e713-e734. doi: 10.1016/S2352-3026(23)00160-6. Epub 2023 Jul 31. PMID: 37536353; PMCID: PMC10465717. 
6. Turawa E, et al. Prevalence of anemia, iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia in women of reproductive age and children under 5 years in South Africa (1997–2021): A systematic review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(23):12799. 
7. Baratam P, et al. Impact of iron deficiency anemia on inpatient mortality, hospital cost and length of stay in patient with luminal gastrointestinal cancers: data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project from 1999–2014. Blood. 2017;130(Suppl 1):4669. 
8. Choosing Wisely – Five Things Physicians and Patients Should Question. Society for the Advancement of Patient Blood Management. https://www.choosingwisely.org/societies/society-for-the-advancement-of-blood-management/. [Accessed April 21, 2023]. 
9. Lasocki S, et al. Management and prevention of anemia (acute bleeding excluded) in adult critical care patients. Annals of Intensive Care. (2020) 10:97 https://doi.org/10.1186/s13613-020-00711-6.