title: [Nutritional status of folate, vitamin B12 and iron in pregnant adolescents].
abstract: Pregnancy in adolescence increases nutritional risk, due to higher demand of nutrients for maternal and fetal growth. This study was aimed to evaluate folate, vitamin B12 and iron status of pregnant adolescents at first trimester of pregnancy. A cross sectional, descriptive study was performed in 122 pregnant adolescents from Valencia, Carabobo state, 1997. Serum and erythrocyte folate and serum vitamin B12 was determined by radioassay; serum ferritin by enzimoimmunoassay; hemoglobin were performed by semi-automated method. Statistical analysis included standard deviation and frequencies. For serum folate 1.7% was found in negative balance and 19.0% at marginal status. For erythrocyte folate, 5.8% was deficient and 1.7% marginal. For serum vitamin B12, 8.3% was deficient and 13.2% marginal. Iron deficiency was found in 19.0% of the adolescents. Prevalence of anemia was of 13.1%, being iron deficiency the main cause. There was high nutritional risk regarding iron status, although iron intakes exceeded the recommendations, but only a small proportion was bioavailable. Prevalence of anemia was lower than reported by other studies and iron deficiency was higher than folic acid and vitamin B12 deficiencies. Pregnant adolescents are at a high biological and nutritional risk.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigaciones en Nutrición Dr. Eleazar Lara Pantin, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Carabobo, Valencia, Estado Carabobo, Venezuela.
authors.forename: María Adela
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Barón
authors.forename: Liseti
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Solano
authors.forename: Evelyn
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Peña
authors.forename: Alba
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Morón
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000097:blood*; D009752:Nutritional Status; D011247:Pregnancy; D011250:Pregnancy Complications, Hematologic / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First / Q000097:blood; D011253:Pregnancy in Adolescence / Q000097:blood*; D015995:Prevalence; D014687:Venezuela / Q000453:epidemiology; D014805:Vitamin B 12 / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D005492:Folic Acid; D007501:Iron; D014805:Vitamin B 12