A study on the treatment of maternal anemia and its outcome conducted in a tertiary care hospital

Abstract

Background

Anemia is one of the most prevalent nutritional deficiency problems afflicting pregnant women. About 20% of pregnant women suffer anemia, and most of the cases are iron deficiency, folic acid deficiency, or both. WHO has estimated the prevalence of anemia in pregnant women in developed and developing countries, and that is 14% in developed and 51% in developing countries and 65-75 percent in India.

Objectives

To study the treatment given for maternal anemia and its outcome. Methodology: This was a prospective observational study conducted at the department of obstetrics and gynaecology of MIMS.250 anemic pregnant women were enrolled to the study. A well designed patient data collection form and questionnaire form was used for collecting the details. The information were documented and subjected to suitable statistical tools.

Result

Among 250 anemic pregnant women included in the study, 177(70.8%) were mildly anemic, 65(26%) were moderately anemic and 8(3.2%) were severely anemic. The study on prescription pattern of drugs for anemia revealed that 93.2% of patients were treated with Ferrous sulphate, 45.2% were treated with vitamin B Complex and 18.8% were given packed red blood cells. During the follow-up, there was a significant improvement in the Hb levels from a mean of 9.245 to 9.985 g%. The number of women having various grades of anemia reduced  and the number of women with normal Hb increased during the follow-up and this was statistically significant.(χ2-53.0155, P<0.0001)

Conclusion

Based on the findings of the study, most of the patients were mildly anemic and majority of them were treated with oral iron therapy. Our study found that the early detection and proper treatment of anemia during pregnancy is very beneficial in impro ving the Hb levels of pregnant women and thus reducing both maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality.