Prevalência da deficiência de ferro em mulheres brasileiras em idade fértil: revisão sistemática com metanálise

Abstract

Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is among the most common micronutrient deficiencies in women of childbearing age and may affect children development. Brazil has several national programs to tackle this condition, such as food fortification and supplementation for pregnant women, but IDA prevalence in this population have not been systematically reviewed. We sought to determine the prevalence of IDA in Brazilian women of childbearing age through a systematic review. MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus, Lilacs, SciELO and gray literature databases were searched, looking for studies that had assessed the prevalence of IDA in women of childbearing age (10- 49 years). Meta-analyses were carried out with prevalence data. The overall IDA prevalence was 25% (95%CI: [23; 28], 83 studies), being higher in the North and Northeast regions (30%; 95%CI: [24; 37], 7 studies, and 30%; 95%CI: [26; 34], 27 studies, respectively). Indigenous population showed the highest pooled prevalence (53%; 95%CI: [27; 78], 4 studies). Studies that had their collections after 2015 showed a higher prevalence of IDA (28%; 95%CI: [23; 34], 9 studies). IDA in women of childbearing age remains a public health problem in Brazil. The national programs should be strengthened and more thoroughly supervised to decrease this condition nationally.