Iron stores in low-income pregnant Mexican women at term.
BACKGROUND
Iron stores can be depleted during pregnancy. Serum ferritin is the most useful non-invasive test to assess iron stores in women of reproductive age. Iron status of pregnant Mexican women at term from a low-income group was investigated through serum ferritin determinations.


METHODS
Hemoglobin and serum ferritin were measured in 201 low-income urban women with at-term pregnancy receiving attention at a public university hospital. Hemoglobin cut-off value was 110.0 g/L. Depending on their serum ferritin concentration, women were divided into three groups: group I, iron deficiency, serum ferritin <12 microg/L; group II, borderline iron stores, serum ferritin >or=12 microg/L and <30 microg/L, and group III, normal iron stores, serum ferritin >or=30 microg/L.


RESULTS
Mean SF value in the entire group was 7.0 +/- 6.4 microg/L, with a mean Hb of 110.1 +/- 15.8 g/L. One hundred seventy-two women (85.6%) had empty iron stores. Ninety-two women (46%) in the entire group had iron deficiency anemia, as did 79 (46%) of the 172 iron-deficient women. During their pregnancy, 165 women (82%) did not ingest any supplemental iron and 131 (65%) did not receive any prenatal care.


CONCLUSIONS
We documented a high prevalence of iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia, together with practically no prenatal care utilization and no supplemental iron ingestion in this low-income group. A serum ferritin concentration >or=12 microg/L was always accompanied by a normal hemoglobin concentration. These data suggest that prenatal care and iron supplementation may be considered as major determinants of maternal iron stores to prevent iron deficiency anemia.
Jaime-Pérez
José Carlos
JC
Departamento de Hematología, Facultad de Medicina y Hospital Universitavio, Dr. José E. González, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico. carjaime@hotmail.com
Gómez-Almaguer
David
D
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D018798:Anemia, Iron-Deficiency / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005293:Ferritins / Q000097:blood*; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D000090463:Iron Deficiencies; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011295:Prenatal Care; D012923:Social Class
D006454:Hemoglobins; D005293:Ferritins