EVALUATION OF OXIDATIVE STRESS MARKERS IN ANTENATAL WOMEN RECEIVING ROUTINE IRON

Abstract

Background: Anaemia is low haemoglobin concentration affecting 47.74% of pregnant women globally.9 WHO recommends routine supplementation of iron to all antenatal mothers irrespective of the haemoglobin status. The aim of this study was to evaluate the levels of oxidative stress markers in antenatal women receiving routine iron supplementation and correlate their maternal and fetal outcomes. A prospective observational study of 100 pregnant wome Methods: n was conducted over 1.5 years at St. John's Medical College Hospital. On screening for inclusion criteria, at baseline, information on maternal socio-demography, anthropometry, dietary intake and clinical examination was collected. A venous blood sample at baseline and 3rd trimester of pregnancy and at delivery was collected for estimation of oxidative stress markers i.e., catalase and lipid peroxidase and results were correlated with pregnancy and birth outcomes. Results: The levels of oxidative stress markers were found to decrease from rst to third trimester in a subset of 30 patients participating in the study. There was a greater incidence of preeclampsia in women with Hb > 13 g/dl receiving routine iron supplementation (37.5%). Also, there was increased risk of GDM, PROM and febrile morbidity although not statistically signicant. Our study suggests t Conclusion: hat there is a trend towards increase in oxidative stress and incidence of pre-eclampsia when excess iron is supplemented to pregnant women with normal haemoglobin. Assessment of other oxidative stress markers in a larger study may be helpful in deciding the need for iron supplementation and its dosage.