PREVALENCE AND FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH IRON-DEFICIENCY ANEMIA IN WOMEN OF REPRODUCTIVE AGE: A LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

Introduction: Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is the most common form of anemia worldwide and a serious public health problem, especially among women of childbearing age (15 to 49 years), in whom it impairs hemoglobin production and tissue oxygenation, affecting quality of life, productivity, and pregnancy outcomes. Objective: To gather and discuss, through a literature review, the available evidence on the prevalence and factors associated with IDA in women of childbearing age, with emphasis on the Brazilian and Amazonian context. Methods: Narrative literature review based on articles, guidelines, dissertations, and reviews published between 2019 and 2026, in Portuguese, English, or Spanish, retrieved from the Scopus, LILACS, PubMed/MEDLINE, and VHL databases, complemented by earlier relevant studies, mainly from the Amazon. Results and discussion: The literature indicates a global anemia prevalence (any cause) of about 30% among non-pregnant women and 36% among pregnant women. In Brazil, the last National Demography and Health Survey (2006) estimated 29.4% of anemia among women aged 15 to 49 years, and a meta-analysis estimated about 25% of iron deficiency anemia, with higher values in the North and Northeast regions and among Indigenous women. No recent population-based estimates were found for the state of Amazonas or for Manaus. The main associated factors are heavy menstrual bleeding, obstetric blood loss, low heme iron intake, coffee and tea consumption with meals, intestinal parasitosis, and socioeconomic vulnerability; multiparity was associated with anemia among Indigenous women. There is relevant debate about ferritin cut-off points: physiologically based studies point to a threshold close to 25 µg/L, versus the WHO 15 µg/L, which mainly increases iron deficiency without anemia. Final considerations: IDA in women of childbearing age is multifactorial and requires combined laboratory assessment; nutritional education, supplementation, and continuous follow-up are suggested, and further regional studies in the Amazon are needed.