The present review aims to highlight the magnitude of iron status of Pakistani population and possible remedies to address iron deficiency among vulnerable groups. A computer-based search was carried out on "PubMed", "Google Search" and "Sciencedirect.com" to retrieve relevant scientific literature published in the last two decades. The search yielded 193 articles, of which 64 were culled and further screening was performed based on the type of vulnerable population groups, age, sex and pregnancy. A thorough review of current literature reveals that iron deficiency (ID) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) widely persist in Pakistan and necessitate immediate remedial actions. Females of reproductive age and children under 5 years have been shown to be the most IDA affected population segment. Fortification of wheat flour has been suggested as the most viable approach aptly matching Pakistan's needs for combating IDA. The present review further stresses the need for global involvement to scale up efforts for mitigating ID and IDA to achieve Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that are fundamentally based upon improving nutritional wellbeing of populations in developing economies by 2015.
此篇文章回顧巴基斯坦族群鐵營養狀況幅度的重點及可能的補救方針，以解決 那些弱勢族群的鐵缺乏。從電腦網站- PubMed、Google Search 及Sciencedirect. com 檢索近20 年刊登的相關科學文獻。共搜尋出193 篇文章，再從中挑選出 64 篇，進一步篩選是根據弱勢族群、年齡、性別及懷孕狀態。透過對現今文 獻的詳盡回顧，發現鐵缺乏(ID)及鐵缺乏貧血(IDA)普遍存在巴基斯坦，且必 須立即採取補救措施。大部分鐵缺乏貧血影響的族群為生育年齡女性及5 歲以 下的兒童。麵粉強化已經被建議為最可實行及最適合巴基斯坦對抗IDA 的對 策。本次回顧更進一步強調需要全球的高規格努力，減輕鐵缺乏及鐵缺乏貧血 狀況，以達到千禧年發展目標(MDGs)的根本，在2015 年前改善發展中經濟體 族群的營養安適。