Iron deficiency in pregnant women in Ibarapa District of Western Nigeria.
Ninety-nine pregnant women with anaemia (haematocrit less than 0.30) were detected by antenatal screening in Ibarapa District. Studies on 23 anaemic women and 17 non-anaemic women from the same clinic on the same day showed that eight out of 23 anaemic women had a transferrin saturation of less than 15%. The mean level (19.5%) for the anaemic patients was significantly less than that found in the nonanaemic controls; mean 33.0% (P less than 0.01). Bone marrow studies on 32 anaemic women revealed megaloblastic change and absent iron in 27 of the 32 patients. In a trial of parenteral iron treatment in 66 patients the mean haematocrit of Imferon treated patients rose from 0.27 to 0.32 in 6 weeks but remained at 0.28 or less in the controls. There was a significant difference between the iron-treated group and the comparable group receiving no imferon (P less than 0.001 at 6 weeks). The method of using parenteral iron treatment to make a diagnosis of iron deficiency anaemia is discussed together with the possible advantages and disadvantages of giving iron.
D000747:Anemia, Hypochromic / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000097:blood; D007505:Iron-Dextran Complex / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009549:Nigeria; D011247:Pregnancy; D011250:Pregnancy Complications, Hematologic / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*
D007505:Iron-Dextran Complex; D007501:Iron