Abstract
The main cause of anemia is irondeficiency, which, in turn, can result froma wide range of factors. Iron intake may beinsufficient because of a low dietary ironcontent, less bioavailable (i.e., non-heme)iron, or because of poor absorption of irondue to concurrent ingestion of inhibitorssuch as cereals and grain [1]. In addition,iron may be lost because of infection byparasites that destroy red blood cells, suchas malaria-causing Plasmodium species, orby blood-feeding parasites, such as thesoil-transmitted helminths (STHs) [1].Normal hemoglobin distributions varyby age and sex and so do anemiathresholds (i.e., hemoglobin (Hb) concen-trations below which individuals are con-sidered anemic). Among women of repro-ductive age, this threshold is 11 g/dL forpregnant women and 12 g/dL for non-pregnant women [2]. Anemia in pregnantwomen is of particular concern because ofits association with maternal mortality.This association has been known for years[3,4] and has been confirmed by recentevidence from cohort studies [5,6]. TheWorld Health Organization estimates thatthe worldwide prevalence of anemia is30% in pregnant women and 20% innonpregnant women, with higher levels inwomen living in developing countries [7].The estimated prevalence of anemia inpregnant women is highest in Africa(55.8%) and Asia (41.6%) and lowest inNorth America (6.1%) and Europe(18.7%) [7].
Highlights
Normal hemoglobin distributions vary by age and sex and so do anemia thresholds (i.e., hemoglobin (Hb) concentrations below which individuals are considered anemic)
The World Health Organization estimates that the worldwide prevalence of anemia is 30% in pregnant women and 20% in nonpregnant women, with higher levels in women living in developing countries [7]
Of the single study which had examined Trichuris infection intensity categories, results showed that pregnant women with moderate or heavy Trichuris infection in their second trimester of pregnancy had statistically significantly lower Hb levels compared to those with no or light Trichuris infection, despite all of the women receiving iron supplementation [16]
Summary
The main cause of anemia is iron deficiency, which, in turn, can result from a wide range of factors. Among women of reproductive age, this threshold is g/dL for pregnant women and g/dL for nonpregnant women [2]. Anemia in pregnant women is of particular concern because of its association with maternal mortality. This association has been known for years [3,4] and has been confirmed by recent evidence from cohort studies [5,6]. The World Health Organization estimates that the worldwide prevalence of anemia is 30% in pregnant women and 20% in nonpregnant women, with higher levels in women living in developing countries [7]. The estimated prevalence of anemia in pregnant women is highest in Africa (55.8%) and Asia (41.6%) and lowest in North America (6.1%) and Europe (18.7%) [7]
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