Effects of Anemia on Cognitive Ability in School-going Adolescents in an Urban Area in India
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5195/ijms.2022.1754Keywords:
Anemia, Intelligence, Cognition, AdolescentAbstract
Background:
Anemia is a major nutritional health problem in India. It poses a significant threat to health due to a decrease in oxygen availability to the body. This predisposes the anemic individual to an increased risk of heart problems, stroke, motor or cognitive developmental delays, infections, and other disturbances. Some studies found a correlation between anemia and low IQ scores while others found no such correlation. The authors decided to perform this study to determine whether such a correlation exists in adolescents, a group that is susceptible to anemia.
Methods:
This was a cross-sectional study involving 28 school-going adolescents of an urban area in the age group of 12-15 years, selected by simple random sampling. Individuals with a prior diagnosis of a medical or psychiatric condition were excluded. After obtaining permission from school authorities, ethics committee approval, parental consent, and assent, participants were interviewed using pro forma. Hemoglobin estimation was done by using hemoglobin strips. Cognitive status examination was performed by using Malin’s Intelligence Scale for Indian Children, Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination – Revised, and Mini-Mental State Examination. The data was analyzed using Microsoft Excel version 2010.
Results:
89% of the study population was anemic and 11% was non-anemic. The mean IQ score was 92.4; the mean ACE-R score was 84.2; the mean MMSE score was 26.6. Unpaired t-test was used to analyze the data; tests were done at a 5% significance level. The IQ score +/- standard deviation (SD) in the anemic group was 83.96 +/- 7.74. This score did not reveal any statistically significant difference from the non-anemic group’s IQ score (p = 0.76). The ACE-R score +/- standard deviation (SD) in the anemic group was 84.04 +/- 7.84. This score did not reveal any statistically significant difference from the non-anemic group’s ACE-R score (p = 0.70). The MMSE score +/- standard deviation (SD) in the anemic group was 26.48 +/- 1.66. This score did not reveal any statistically significant difference from the non-anemic group’s MMSE score (p = 0.125).
Conclusion:
The findings suggest that the average IQ, MMSE, and ACE-R scores are lower in the anemic group than in the non-anemic group. However, no statistically significant correlation between hemoglobin level and cognitive function was found in this study.
Key Words: Anemia, Intelligence, Cognition, Adolescent (Source: MeSH-NLM).
Figure or Table:
Comparison of cognitive status examination scores in anemic and normal groups
Parameter
Group
Mean
Standard Deviation (S.D.)
Standard Error of Mean
p-value by unpaired t-test
MMSE Score
Anemic
26.48
1.66
0.332
0.125
Normal
27.67
1.53
0.883
Intelligence Quotient
Anemic
87.22
5.97
1.19
0.76
Normal
93.02
4.93
2.85
ACE-R Score
Anemic
84.04
7.84
1.57
0.7
Normal
85.33
4.93
2.85
Components of ACE-R:
Attention & Orientation
Anemic
16.08
1.29
0.26
0.23
Normal
17
0
0
Memory
Anemic
20.32
4.18
0.84
0.26
Normal
17.67
4.62
2.67
Fluency
Anemic
9.4
2.38
0.48
0.16
Normal
11
0
0
Language
Anemic
23
1.96
0.39
0.16
Normal
24.67
0.58
0.33
Visuospatial
Anemic
15.16
1.25
0.25
0.82
Normal
15
0
0
Metrics
Downloads
Published
Versions
- 2023-02-20 (2)
- 2022-12-31 (1)
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Categories
License
Copyright (c) 2022 Devyani V. Pattebahadur, Dipak Patil
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- The Author retains copyright in the Work, where the term “Work” shall include all digital objects that may result in subsequent electronic publication or distribution.
- Upon acceptance of the Work, the author shall grant to the Publisher the right of first publication of the Work.
- The Author shall grant to the Publisher and its agents the nonexclusive perpetual right and license to publish, archive, and make accessible the Work in whole or in part in all forms of media now or hereafter known under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License or its equivalent, which, for the avoidance of doubt, allows others to copy, distribute, and transmit the Work under the following conditions:
- Attribution—other users must attribute the Work in the manner specified by the author as indicated on the journal Web site; with the understanding that the above condition can be waived with permission from the Author and that where the Work or any of its elements is in the public domain under applicable law, that status is in no way affected by the license.
- The Author is able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the nonexclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the Work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), as long as there is provided in the document an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post online a prepublication manuscript (but not the Publisher’s final formatted PDF version of the Work) in institutional repositories or on their Websites prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work. Any such posting made before acceptance and publication of the Work shall be updated upon publication to include a reference to the Publisher-assigned DOI (Digital Object Identifier) and a link to the online abstract for the final published Work in the Journal.
- Upon Publisher’s request, the Author agrees to furnish promptly to Publisher, at the Author’s own expense, written evidence of the permissions, licenses, and consents for use of third-party material included within the Work, except as determined by Publisher to be covered by the principles of Fair Use.
- The Author represents and warrants that:
- the Work is the Author’s original work;
- the Author has not transferred, and will not transfer, exclusive rights in the Work to any third party;
- the Work is not pending review or under consideration by another publisher;
- the Work has not previously been published;
- the Work contains no misrepresentation or infringement of the Work or property of other authors or third parties; and
- the Work contains no libel, invasion of privacy, or other unlawful matter.
- The Author agrees to indemnify and hold Publisher harmless from the Author’s breach of the representations and warranties contained in Paragraph 6 above, as well as any claim or proceeding relating to Publisher’s use and publication of any content contained in the Work, including third-party content.
Enforcement of copyright
The IJMS takes the protection of copyright very seriously.
If the IJMS discovers that you have used its copyright materials in contravention of the license above, the IJMS may bring legal proceedings against you seeking reparation and an injunction to stop you using those materials. You could also be ordered to pay legal costs.
If you become aware of any use of the IJMS' copyright materials that contravenes or may contravene the license above, please report this by email to contact@ijms.org
Infringing material
If you become aware of any material on the website that you believe infringes your or any other person's copyright, please report this by email to contact@ijms.org
