ANEMIA;

Abstract

Background: Moderate to severe anemia during pregnancy is associated withincreased maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Therefore moderate to severe maternalanemia is a high risk group and it is imperative that all cases of anemia should be identified andtreated to ensure adequate hemoglobin level before labour. Different countries have shownconsiderable variations in the prevalence of moderate to severe anemia during pregnancy.Objective: To determine the frequency of moderate to severe anemia during pregnancy and itsassociation with socio-demographic and obstetric characteristics. Study Design: Crosssectionaldescriptive study. Place and duration of Study: This study was conducted from 1stOctober 2011 to 31st March 2012, in the obstetrics and gynaecology department of Sir SyedHospital, a tertiary care hospital in Karachi. Methodology: The patients attending the antenatalOPD between the gestational age of 20 to 41weeks who were moderate to severely anemic (according to WHO criteria based on Hb level) were selected for the study. A self-designedproforma was then utilized to obtain relevant information. This proforma covered sociodemographicas well as patient’s obstetric characteristics. Result: The frequency of anemia wasfound to be 42% (633/1507).Patients with moderate to severe anemia after 20 weeks till 41 weekswere 323. Patients with moderate anemia were 268/323 (83%), while 55/323 (17%) women hadsevere anemia. Majority of women with moderate anemia were multiparous between 26-32 yearsof age and presented between 35-41 weeks gestation. Majority of women with severe anemiawere primigravidas between 18-25 years and presented in late third trimester. Conclusions: Ourstudy revealed multiparity, illiteracy, poverty and late antenatal booking as the factors responsiblefor the severity of anemia during pregnancy. Therefore, anemia should be recognized as aserious public health problem. The adverse effects of anemia can be avoided by counseling onbirth spacing and early antenatal booking.