Table 5.
Prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies, anemia, iron deficiency, inflammation and malaria among children 6–23 and 24–59 months (n = 676–744) by province 1.
| 6–23 Months | 24–59 Months | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Kivu | Kongo Central | South Kivu | Kongo Central | |
| Total, n (%) | 158 (55.2) | 128 (44.8) | 286 (62.4) | 172 (37.6) |
| Micronutrient Deficiencies, % (95%CI) | ||||
| Vitamin B12, <150 pmol/L | 4.9 (2.0, 9.8) | 1.8 (0.2, 6.5) | 3.0 (1.3, 5.9) | 0.0 (0.0, 2.3) * |
| RBP (unadjusted), <0.7 µmol/L | 6.5 (3.0, 11.9) | 19.0 (12.4, 27.1) | 12.0 (8.3, 16.6) | 24.3 (18.0, 31.4) |
| RBP (adjusted) 2, <0.7 µmol/L | 1.3 (0.2, 4.5) | 9.4 (4.9, 15.8) | 5.6 (3.2, 8.9) | 9.9 (5.9, 15.4) |
| Zinc (unadjusted), <8.7 µmol/L | 36.1 (28.2, 44.5) | 31.0 (22.8, 40.3) | 34.7 (29.0, 40.7) | 38.7 (31.1, 46.6) |
| Zinc (adjusted) 3, <8.7 µmol/L | 23.1 (16.3, 31.2) | 20.0 (13.1, 28.4) | 24.8 (19.6, 30.6) | 27.2 (20.5, 34.7) |
| Folate, <6.8 nmol/L | 0 (0.0, 2.5) * | 0 (0.0, 3.3) * | 0 (0.0, 1.4) * | 0 (0.0, 2.3) * |
| Ferritin (unadjusted), <12 µg/L | 14.3 (9.0, 21.3) | 9.9 (5.2, 16.7) | 4.3 (2.1, 7.5) | 0.6 (0.0, 3.3) |
| Ferritin (adjusted) 2, <12 µg/L | 23.0 (16.3, 30.9) | 15.7 (9.7, 23.4) | 5.4 (3.0, 8.9) | 0.6 (0.0, 3.3) |
| sTfR, >8.3 mg/L | 51.1 (42.5, 59.6) | 74.4 (65.6, 81.9) | 23.2 (18.2, 28.9) | 58.0 (50.2, 65.5) |
| Anemia, Hb < 110 g/L, % (95%CI) | ||||
| Unadjusted Hb | 45.2 (37.3, 53.4) | 41.4 (32.8, 50.4) | 24.2 (19.4, 29.6) | 42.7 (35.2, 50.5) |
| Hb adjusted for altitude | 58.6 (50.5, 66.4) | 42.2 (33.5, 51.2) | 35.4 (29.9, 41.3) | 44.4 (36.9, 52.2) |
| Hb adjusted for ethnicity | 18.5 (12.7, 25.4) | 21.1 (14.3, 29.2) | 8.4 (5.5, 12.3) | 22.8 (16.7, 29.8) |
| Hb adjusted for altitude and Ethnicity | 26.1 (19.4, 33.7) | 25.0 (17.8, 33.4) | 14.0 (10.2, 18.6) | 22.8 (16.7, 29.8) |
| Iron Deficiency Anemia 2,4, % (95%CI) | ||||
| Hb < 110 g/L and ferritin < 12 µg/L | 9.4 (5.1, 15.6) | 2.5 (0.5, 7.1) | 0.4 (0.0, 2.1) | 0.0 (0.0, 2.2) * |
| Hb < 110 g/L and sTfR > 8.3 mg/L | 17.4 (11.5, 24.8) | 20.7 (13.8, 29.0) | 5.1 (2.7, 8.5) | 18.5 (12.9, 25.2) |
| Inflammation Biomarkers, % (95%CI) | ||||
| Acute, CRP, >5 mg/L | 22.3 (15.7, 30.1) | 42.1 (33.2, 51.5) | 16.7 (12.3, 21.8) | 42.6 (35.0, 50.4) |
| Chronic, AGP, >1 g/L | 64.7 (56.2, 72.7) | 71.9 (63.0, 79.7) | 61.2 (55.0, 67.2) | 71.0 (63.5, 77.7) |
| Malaria Infection, % (95%CI) | 2.2 (0.5, 6.3) | 33.6 (25.5, 42.5) | 4.3 (2.1, 7.5) | 44.2 (36.6, 51.9) |
1AGP, α-1 acid glycoprotein; CRP, C-reactive protein; Hb, hemoglobin; RBP, retinol binding protein (vitamin A status); sTfR, soluble transferrin receptor; 2 Values were adjusted for inflammation using correction factors proposed by Thurnham et al. [24,25]; 3 Values were adjusted for inflammation using study-generated correction factors; 4 Iron deficiency anemia was calculated based on Hb concentration adjusted for both altitude and ethnicity; * Values present one-sided 97.5% CI (rather than two-sided 95%CI) due to very low prevalence rates.