A study of anemia in pregnancy at a tertiary care hospital

Background: Anemia is a significant public health problem that occurs worldwide with higher prevalence noted in pregnancy. Objective: This study was done to evaluate the proportion, morphological patterns and severity of anemia among pregnant women. Material and Methods: A prospective study was done on pregnant women of a tertiary care hospital over a span of one year. We evaluate the results of complete blood count and peripheral blood smear of all pregnant women after taking their informed consent. The WHO criterion (hemoglobin< 11 g/dl) was used to diagnose anemia. To categorize the degree of anemia, the following cut-off points were used: 10.0-10.9 g/dl – mild anemia; 7.0-9.9 g/dl – moderate anemia; < 7 g/dl – severe anemia, very severe (decompensated)-<4 g/dl. Results: Out of 360 pregnant women, 210(58.3%) were found to be anemic. Commonest pattern of anemia was microcytic hypochromic (74.2%) suggesting iron deficiency as the major cause of anemia in pregnancy. 51.4% of pregnant women had moderate to severe anemia. Conclusion: We conclude that it is important to determine the proportion, morphological patterns and severity of anemia in pregnant women so that we can direct the investigation for profiling the etiology since it is well known that the treatment of anemia goes a long way in improving the overall outcome and quality of life.