Anemia and pregnancy outcomes: a longitudinal study

Abstract

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of anemia at the first antenatal visit and at 32–34 weeks gestational age, and to evaluate perinatal and maternal outcomes.Methods: Venous blood samples were obtained for complete blood counts at both study visits. Maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality were also recorded. The data were analyzed using SPSS (version 23).Results: Two thousand pregnant women were recruited. The prevalence of anemia was 42.7% (n = 854/2000) at the first antenatal visit. Thirty-five percent had mild anemia and 68.9% had normocytic normochromic anemia. The prevalence of anemia in HIV infected women was higher than that in the noninfected group and 47.2% of the study population (n = 2000) was HIV infected. At the 32–34 weeks visit, hemoglobin (Hb) levels were available for 1433/2000 (71.7%) of the participants. The prevalence of anemia was 28.1% (n = 403/1433); 19.3% had mild anemia and 65.3% had normocytic normochromic anemia. There was a significant difference in Hb levels between that of the first visit and that at 32–34 weeks (42.7% vs. 28.1%; p = .001; 95% CI: 0.11–0.18). There were significant differences in prematurity, birth weight and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy between the anemic and nonanemic groups.Conclusion: The prevalence of anemia decreased from 42.7% (booking) to 28.1% (32 − 34 weeks). Normocytic normochromic anemia was the commonest type of anemia. Attention needs to be focused on detailed investigations to establish the exact cause of anemia.