Non invasive anaemia screening tool using image processing and artificial neural network

Abstract

Anaemia is a common health problem in developing countries and constituting a challenge to public health in India It affects persons of all age groups especially women and children Global Data s epidemiological analysis of anaemia finds extensive variance in the disease and is a burden to the country and is relatively widespread even in developed countries The United States and five European Union countries namely France Germany Italy Spain and the UK have total prevalence levels ranging between 56 1074 making the disease a common occurrence even in developed countries India has the highest total prevalence of anaemia at 3986 while Canada has the lowest at 3% Anaemia is the world s second foremost cause of disability and accounts for about 1 million deaths a year of which threequarters occur in Africa and South east Asia The NFHS 4 2015 2016 provides crucial information on anaemic status in India As per NFHS 4 report a severe anaemic status among children in the age group of 6 59 months was 28 It was 40 for women and 12 for men in the age group of 15 49years Numerous studies conducted in India found poor eating habits and lack of access to healthcare are the main causes for such a high prevalence of anaemia among women Anaemia with major consequences on health and well being in women increases the risk of maternal and neonatal adverse outcomes As anaemia can often be the indicator of serious underlying illnesses it is very important to improve disease awareness and obtain an accurate diagnosis of its cause It is essential to create a surveillance system with consistent affordable and easy to use technology for assessing and monitoring anaemic status and ensure the efficiency of interventions newline