Dear Readers

Greetings and Good wishes!!!

Anemia is a condition in which there is a deficiency of red cells or hemoglobin in the blood, resulting in pallor and weakness. According to the World Health Organization report, anemia affects 1.62 billion people, which corresponds to 24.8% of the world population. The highest prevalence is in preschool-age children and the lowest prevalence is amongst men. However, the population group with the greatest number of individuals affected is non-pregnant women. It is a continuing debate when it comes to the discussion about anemia as some types of anemia can be prevented whereas others cannot. To provide concrete highlights regarding the clinical aspects of anemia the World Journal of Anemia is introduced. I hereby proudly bring to you the first issue of this journal. It comprises of all the articles authored by specialists in their respective fields regarding anemia. The main aim of this journal is to provide a critical summary and an update regarding the clinical aspects, diagnosis and management options for the treatment of various types of anemia all over the world.

The most common monogenetic disease, responsible for anemia, prevailing all across the world is thalassemia. To understand the nature of thalassemia syndrome, its diagnosis and management, a review article is presented by Saxena et al. Thalassemia is commonly encountered amongst women. Approximately 2.5 million people constitute for the 4.5% of world population carry a potentially pathological thalassemia gene. Thus, the pregnant women are likely to transfer this disease to their offspring. A special emphasis regarding the management of thalassemia during pregnancy has also been laid in this article.

Anemia is a common nutritional problem in adolescents. Iron deficiency anemia is a common condition among women of South East Asia. A questionnaire-based study by Acharya et al evaluates the effect of anemia on the various menstrual parameters and disorders, and on the academic performance of adolescent girls. In order to overcome this problem, an article by Dr. Bindra gives information about Adolescent Anemia Control Programme (AACP) which has been launched in 2000 by the government of developing countries, such as India.

Major public health goals especially in women, children, and individuals from low-income countries are to prevent and compare the various treatment modalities of iron deficiency that are presented in a review article by Dr. Nanjundan. An article by Dr. Indersen discusses about the primary indication of a fetal intrauterine transfusion.

The gap always remains in the current understanding of the iron deficiency. The oral iron supplements are the main source of providing iron but in some cases, intravenous iron administration is required which is covered in the review article by Dr. Gautham.

I expect that all readers will be benefited from the articles of this journal. The journal will provide an excellent platform for academic exchange between scientists, researchers, and clinical practitioners. The editorial board of World Journal of Anemia, Emcure Pharmaceuticals Ltd and Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers (P) Ltd are working hard to achieve newer heights with your support. All authors always wished to publish their articles where the success rate is high, so I intend to invite researchers and authors to provide more and more original research and review articles. The World Journal of Anemia will need your valuable ideas and assistance not only for the betterment of the journal but also for the mankind on whole.