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Anaemia Severity Calculator

Work out anaemia severity instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Anaemia Severity Calculator

Compares haemoglobin with the WHO threshold for the chosen population group and applies an altitude adjustment above 1000 metres.

Formula

WHO anaemia thresholds

Adult men 13, non-pregnant women 12, pregnant women 11, children 5-11 years 11.5 g/dL. Severe under 8, moderate 8-10.9, mild up to the group threshold

Worked example

With the default values below, Anaemia Severity Calculator returns WHO severity category of Moderate anaemia. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Haemoglobinaccepts 2–20 g/dL
9.5 g/dL
Population groupone of Adult man, Non-pregnant woman, Pregnant woman, Child 5 to 11 years
Non-pregnant woman
Altitude of residenceaccepts 0–5,000 m
0 m

Results

WHO severity category
Moderate anaemia
Altitude-adjusted haemoglobin
9.50 g/dL
WHO threshold for this group
12.0 g/dL
Shortfall below the threshold
2.50 g/dL

Step by step

  1. 1Values used
  2. 2WHO anaemia thresholds
  3. 3WHO severity category= Moderate anaemia
  4. 4Altitude-adjusted haemoglobin= 9.50 g/dL
  5. 5WHO threshold for this group= 12.0 g/dL
  6. 6Shortfall below the threshold= 2.50 g/dL

Assumptions and limits

  • The result is derived only from the 3 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
  • In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
  • Figures are rounded for display to 2 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
  • Educational estimate only. Not a substitute for professional clinical judgement, and must not be used to make treatment or dosing decisions.
  • This is an estimate for general information and not professional medical advice. See the full disclaimer for the limits that apply to this kind of calculator.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Educational estimate only. Not a substitute for professional clinical judgement, and must not be used to make treatment or dosing decisions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why adjust for altitude?

Haemoglobin rises with altitude to compensate for lower oxygen tension, so unadjusted values underestimate anaemia.

Does smoking need adjustment too?

Yes. WHO also applies a downward adjustment for smokers because carboxyhaemoglobin raises measured haemoglobin.

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