This year, the World Health Organization (WHO) has established new guidelines indicating a readjustment of the cut-off points for the diagnosis of anemia in infants aged 6 to 23 months, as well as the change of the hemoglobin (Hb) correction factor for altitude of residence, which generates a different picture of the numbers reported in the previous surveys applied at the national level. In Metropolitan Lima, a reanalysis of the SIEN databases (CENAN/INS) from 2012 to 2017 shows that the prevalence of anemia is reduced from 45.4% to 25.5% with the new WHO guidelines. On the other hand, there is a lack of knowledge about the effectiveness and repercussions generated by the various strategies applied in Peru, as well as in some neighboring countries that have a large proportion of altitude residents. Due to the above, this manuscript aims to show the changes that have occurred over the yea...

This is a descriptive study on the maternal population in Huaraz City at 3052 m in the central highlands of the Departament of Ancash.  Objetive: to record sociodemographic characteristics of pregnant women, and conditions associated with pregnancy, delivery and newborn children.  Materials and methods: cross-sectional and descriptive study based on history records from the pregnancies attended from 2001 to 2005 at the Hospital Víctor Ramos Guardia, City of Huaraz. The sample included 10 354 deliveries, at from 28 to 42 weeks of pregnancy.  Results: The mean hemoglobin value was 12,84 g/dL (± 1,36). According to Ministry of Health (MINSA) guidelines which correct hemoglobin values according to altitude of residence, the prevalence of anemia was 49,67 %. Out of all mothers, 42 % were primiparas, 48% had had several pregnancies, and a low percentage of women had great mult...

This is a descriptive study on the maternal population in Huaraz City at 3052 m in the central highlands of the Departament of Ancash.  Objetive: to record sociodemographic characteristics of pregnant women, and conditions associated with pregnancy, delivery and newborn children.  Materials and methods: cross-sectional and descriptive study based on history records from the pregnancies attended from 2001 to 2005 at the Hospital Víctor Ramos Guardia, City of Huaraz. The sample included 10 354 deliveries, at from 28 to 42 weeks of pregnancy.  Results: The mean hemoglobin value was 12,84 g/dL (± 1,36). According to Ministry of Health (MINSA) guidelines which correct hemoglobin values according to altitude of residence, the prevalence of anemia was 49,67 %. Out of all mothers, 42 % were primiparas, 48% had had several pregnancies, and a low percentage of women had great mult...

Carta al editor para hacer la corrección del punto de corte de la hemoglobina a gran altitud favorece la clasificación errónea de anemia, eritrocitosis y eritrocitosis excesiva.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) originated in the People’s Republic of China in December 2019. Thereafter, a global logarithmic expansion of cases occurred. Some countries have a higher rate of infections despite the early implementation of quarantine. Air pollution might be related to high susceptibility to the virus and associated case fatality rates (deaths/cases*100). Lima, Peru, has the second highest incidence of COVID-19 in Latin America and also has one the highest levels of air pollution in the region. Methods: This study investigated the association of levels of PM2.5 exposure in previous years (2010–2016) in 24 districts of Lima with cases, deaths and case fatality rates for COVID-19. Multiple linear regression was used to evaluate this association controlled by age, sex, population density and number of food markets per district. The study period was from ...

Until June 12, 2020, there were 6,308 deaths and 220,749 SARS-CoV-2 positive cases in Peru. In Lima, the total number of COVID-19 deaths in all metropolitan areas was 2,382. The case-fatality rate at the national level was 2.58% and 1.93% in Lima. Higher PM2.5 levels are associated with higher number of cases and deaths of COVID-19. The case-fatality rate (Deaths/cases*100) did not increase with the increase in PM2.5 levels. A higher number of food markets was associated with higher incidence and mortality of COVID-19 (p < 0.01 for both); these associations persisted when cases (r = 0.49; p < 0.01) and deaths (r = 0.58; p < 0.01) were adjusted by the population density. The association of PM2.5 with cases of COVID-19 was maintained after controlling analysis by age, sex and number of food markers.