Nutritional anaemia in pregnant coloured women in Johannesburg.
A nutritional anaemia survey was carried out in 224 pregnant coloured first-time attenders at Coronation Hospital antenatal clinic in Johannesburg during the second quarter of 1986. None had received any form of nutritional supplementation during pregnancy. Haemoglobin concentrations less than 11 g/dl were present in 18.9% of women in the third trimester of pregnancy, while 64% had a saturation of transferrin value of less than 16% and 68% a serum ferritin level less than 12 micrograms/l. Calculations suggested that mean iron stores in the first trimester were 228 mg, with 37.5% of women having absent stores. Comparable figures in the second and third trimesters were 74 mg and -92 mg respectively. The fact that many were iron deficient in the first trimester indicates a high frequency of iron deficiency in non-pregnant women in this population group. Although 20.8% of the women had red cell folate values below the normal range for non-pregnant subjects, folate deficiency did not appear to be a significant problem. Vitamin B12 deficiency was very uncommon.
Lamparelli
R D
RD
Department of Medicine, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.
Bothwell
T H
TH
MacPhail
A P
AP
van der Westhuyzen
J
J
Baynes
R D
RD
MacFarlane
B J
BJ
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D000747:Anemia, Hypochromic / Q000453:epidemiology*; D044383:Black People; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000097:blood; D011247:Pregnancy; D011250:Pregnancy Complications, Hematologic / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013019:South Africa
D007501:Iron