Iron status in late pregnancy is inversely associated with birth weight in Colombia

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Gestational Anaemia (GA) is common in developing countries. This study assessed the relationship of late GA and negative perinatal outcomes in participants recruited in a reference maternity unit of the Caribbean region of Colombia. DESIGN: Prospective analytical birth cohort study. Maternal haemoglobin and serum ferritin (SF) levels were measured. GA was defined as haemoglobin levels <11 g/dL, SF depletion as SF levels <12 ng/mL. Birth outcomes such as low birth weight (LBW), preterm birth (PB) and small for gestational age (SGA) were examined. SETTING: Mothers in the first stage of labour, living in urban or rural areas of Bolívar, were enrolled in an obstetrical centre located in Cartagena, Colombia. Blood and stool samples were taken prior delivery. Maternal blood count, SF levels and infant anthropometric data were recorded for analysis. PARTICIPANTS: 1,218 pregnant women aged 18 - 42 years-old and their newborns. RESULTS: Prevalence of GA and SF depletion was 41.6% and 41.1%, respectively. GA was positively associated with poverty-related sociodemographic conditions. Prenatal care attendance lowered the risk of PB, LBW and SGA. Birth weight was inversely associated with haemoglobin levels, observing a -36.8 g decrease in newborn weight per 1 g/dl of maternal haemoglobin. SF depletion, but not anaemia was associated with PB. Small for gestational age (SGA) outcome showed a significant association with anaemia, but not a significant relationship with SF depletion. CONCLUSION: Birth weight and other-related perinatal outcomes are negatively associated to haemoglobin and SF depletion. Prenatal care attendance reduced the risk of negative birth outcomes.

The effect of maternal anaemia on low birth weight among newborns in Northwest Ethiopia

“…Finally, maternal anaemia had significant effects of on the newborn birth weight. This study’s findings are similar to those study reported in China 61 , India 40 , Brazil 62 , Nepal 63 Colombia 64 , Eastern Ethiopia 65 , and Southern Punjab, Asia 66 . This could be because of intrauterine growth restriction.…”

Impact of helminthiasis on gestational anemia in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis of more than 19,000 women

“…Furthermore, the absence of effective hygienic measures (i.e., correct sanitary handling of stools) favor the transmission of the infection and the economic constraints of the affected countries contribute to the problem. Only three studies in Latin America have evaluated the impact of these infections in pregnancy [7,41,50]. Two of them showed a high prevalence of helminth infection during pregnancy and its association with GA. Interestingly, despite having data about the impact of intestinal helminthiasis in pre-kinder population from the National Survey of Parasitism, there is no data regarding the prevalence of this infection in the gestational age in Colombia [60].…”

Correlation between serum ferritin in early pregnancy and hypertensive disorders in pregnancy

“…Currently, prenatal iron supplementation is routinely recommended worldwide to prevent iron deficiency anemia ( 3 ). At the same time, studies show that excess iron may increase the risk of low birth weight ( 4 ), preterm births ( 5 ), and especially, hypertensive disorders in pregnancy ( 6 ). Therefore, most studies support lowering the dose of supplemented iron during pregnancy ( 7 ).…”