Burden of anemia and its underlying causes in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019: results from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

← Back to papers

★

☆

SHARE

Overview

Paper Summary

Conflicts of Interest

Identified Weaknesses

Rating Explanation

Good to know

Topic Hierarchy

File Information

Paper Summary

Paperzilla title

Anemia: Still a Global Pain, But Getting Better (Mostly)

Anemia affects around 1.8 billion people globally and caused 50.3 million years lived with disability (YLDs) in 2019. While age-standardized rates of anemia have decreased since 1990, the absolute numbers have increased, likely due to population growth and aging. Dietary iron deficiency remains the primary cause of anemia worldwide.

Possible Conflicts of Interest

The GBD study is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. While the authors state the foundation was not involved in manuscript preparation, the funding source should be noted. Additional funding for this specific report was provided by Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences.

Identified Weaknesses

Data Sparsity and Accuracy

The study relies on data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study, which may have limitations in data availability and accuracy, especially in less developed countries. This could affect the precision of the estimated burden of anemia.

Lack of Specificity by Anemia Type

The study does not report the burden of anemia by specific type (e.g., iron deficiency anemia, sickle cell anemia). This limits the ability to provide targeted preventative recommendations.

Missing Data on Risk Factors

The study lacks data on some potential risk factors for anemia, grouped as "other neglected tropical diseases" and "other unspecified infectious diseases." This hinders a complete understanding of the factors associated with anemia.

Rating Explanation

This study provides a valuable update on the global burden of anemia using the most recent GBD data. While there are limitations related to data sparsity and the lack of specific anemia type analysis, the overall methodology is robust, and the findings have important implications for public health policy.

Good to know

This is our free standard analysis. Paperzilla Pro fact-checks every citation, researches author backgrounds and funding sources, and uses advanced AI reasoning for more thorough insights.

Explore Pro →

Topic Hierarchy

Domain:

Health Sciences

Field:

Medicine

Subfield:

Hematology

File Information

Original Title:

Burden of anemia and its underlying causes in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019: results from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

File Name: