PREVALENCE AND TYPE OF ANEMIA IN FEMALE COTTON MILL WORKERS IN BEIJING, CHINA

The present study investigates the prevalence and type of anaemia in C hinese female cotton mill workers. The prevalence of anaemia is report ed in 447 non-pregnant female workers aged between 19 and 45 years. Th e mean value for haemoglobin (Hb) was 123 (SD 15) g/l and 150 of the t otal 447 subjects had Hb values below 120 g/l; thus 34% of the populat ion was anaemic according to World Health Organization (WHO, 1975) cri teria. The mean value for free erythrocyte protoporphyrin (FEP) was 41 9 (SD 215) mu g/l; 55% of the total population had FEP values higher t han 350 mu g/l and 72% among the anaemic subjects. Serum ferritin (SF) was tested is all the women with a Hb value less than 120 g/l and 71% of them had SF values below 12.0 mu g/l. Eighty women diagnosed as ei ther Pe deficient or with Fe-deficient anaemia were selected for a dia gnostic supplementation trial. They were randomly assigned to FeSO4, ( 60 or 120 mg Fe/d) or placebo treatment for 12 weeks. Pe supplementati on increased mean Hb values from 114 to 127 g/l (P < 0.001) and SF lev els from 9.7 to 30.0 mu g/l (P < 0.001), and decreased mean FEP values from 570 to 277 mu g/l (P < 0.001). The response rate of Hb in the wh ole Pe-treated group or Fe-treated subjects with an Hb level less than 120 g/l was 90% or 92% respectively. These findings indicate that the type of anaemia in this population was mainly Fe deficiency. It was a lso found that in this population the severity of anaemia, not the pre valence, was significantly related to the use of intra-uterine devices (IUD).