Effect of maternal anemia on fetal outcome.

We assess the effect of maternal iron deficiency anemia (MIDA) on cord blood iron status, placental weight and fetal outcome [birth weight, APGAR (appearance, pulse, Grimace, activity, and respiration) scores and birth asphyxia]. We conducted a cross sectional analytic study on fifty hospitalized pregnant women and their neonates over a year in a teaching hospital in the capital city of Bangladesh. Serum and cord hemoglobin concentration [Hb] with ferritin values were determined immediately after delivery, placental weight, gestational age, birth weight, APGAR scores and birth asphyxia were recorded. It was observed that 36 percent of the pregnant women were anemic. Maternal [Hb] and serum ferritin showed a highly significant positive correlation (r=0.92; p<0.001) indicating that iron deficiency was the most dominant factor in the causation of anemia amongst them. The maternal [Hb] showed a significant correlation with placental weight (r=0.40; p<0.001), birth weight (r=0.35; p<0.001), APGAR score (r=0.52; p<0.001), gestational age (r=0.61; p<0.001) and birth asphyxia. Maternal serum ferritin also correlated positively with cord ferritin (r=0.94; p<0.001), placental weight (r=0.26; p<0.001) and birth weight (r=0.27; p<0.001). Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) during pregnancy had significant adverse affect on the foetal outcome.