Dietary iron intake of pregnant Nigerian women with anemia.

The daily dietary iron intake of nine pregnant Nigerian women with confirmed iron deficiency anemia was determined. The daily dietary iron intake from hospital meals served to ten other pregnant women was also assessed to serve as a control. The mean daily iron intake of the group of anemic patients on home diet was 14.6 mg (range of individual means = 8.37-25.28 mg), whereas the group of patients served hospital meals had a mean daily dietary iron intake of 36.92 mg (range of individual means = 25.09-46.47 mg). It is, therefore, clear that the etiology of iron deficiency in the patients studied was mainly dietary. Thus, our pregnant patients, many of whom are on diets similar to those of the group studied, should receive iron supplements during pregnancy.