Men above age group of 45 years are at greater risks of abnormal haemoglobin values
SRL Diagnostics recently released a three year long pan India data mining survey (2012 – 2014), which revealed that Indian urban men are at higher risks of anaemia. This abnormal haemoglobin counts, which are associated with women in general, are also affecting men with serious consequences leading to internal bleeding, insufficient iron absorption and anaemia of chronic disease.
Of the 30 lakh males screened for the study by SRL, 43.5 per cent, of the total samples were found with abnormal haemoglobin levels. The elder population above the age group of 45 years were found at higher risks than the younger population below the age group of 45 years. The analysis showed that prevalence of this disease was highest among the men in the eastern zone of the country.
Zone-wise analysis of SRL’s study:
East Zone had highest percentage of abnormality with 52.4 per cent while northern and western zone had 48.6 per cent and 39.3 per cent respectively. Among the four zones, southern India showed the lowest percentage of abnormality with 27 per cent percent.
Dr Leena Chatterjee, Director – Fortis SRL Labs & SRL Strategic Initiatives, “There is a significant need for reaching out and making people aware of the causes, symptoms, treatment and importance of testing for anaemia. Most of the cases of anaemia are observed in infants and pregnant women. But SRL’s study on men has changed the perception as the result revealed that more men are prone to this disorder. SRL Diagnostic’s in-house data analysis on anaemia tests assessed the nationwide abnormalities among men residing in various cities that represent diverse geographic origin, occupation, socio-economic status and food habits. Interestingly, it is also believed that excessive drinking of tea can cause anaemia in both men and women.”