The prevalence of anaemia in children presenting for elective surgical and diagnostic procedures requiring sedation or general anaesthesia at two tertiary hospitals in Johannesburg

Background Paediatric anaemia is a major public health problem affecting millions of children globally, with a high prevalence in low- and middle-income countries. There is limited data on the prevalence of preoperative anaemia in healthy paediatric surgical patients presenting for routine surgery. The primary aim of the study was to describe the prevalence and severity of anaemia. Secondary aims were to describe the association between anaemia and demographic variables, nutritional status, and deworming status in these children. Methods This was a prospective, cross-sectional study and included children aged 6 months to 11 years, American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) physical status classification 1 and 2, presenting for elective surgical and diagnostic procedures performed under sedation or general anaesthesia at two tertiary hospitals in Johannesburg between January and May 2024. Anaemia was defined using age-specific cohorts according to the 2001 World Health Organization (WHO) definition of paediatric anaemia. Screening was done using the point-of-care haemoglobin device HemoCue®. Univariate statistical associations were performed using χ 2 tests for categorical variables, and Wilcoxon rank sum tests for continuous variables. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess associations between demographic variables (age, sex, nutritional status, deworming status) and the presence of anaemia. In addition, Spearman's correlation was performed as an exploratory test. P -values