title: [Clinical and socio-medical factors related to anemia in pregnant women: prevalence study in Mara Township, Venezuela, 2013].
abstract: Anemia during pregnancy is a frequent finding and can increase morbidity and mortality in both mother and child. This paper aims to identify clinical, social and healthcare-related factors that affect the incidence of anemia in pregnant patients in a primary care prenatal clinic in Mara municipality. This is a descriptive field study that took place between November and December, 2013. Sixty-two patients were selected through non-probability sampling among four primary care clinics in the municipality of Mara. A high prevalence of anemia (76%) was found, with normal MCV (mean corpuscular volume), normal MCH (mean corpuscular hemoglobin), and normal MCHC (mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration). In only 36% of cases serum iron levels fell below 50 ug/dl. Some clinical factors found to be related to anemia in pregnancy are multiparity (69.9%), infections before or during pregnancy (77.5%), low protein intake (91.8%), less than a year birth interval (63.3%), and gestational age (89.8%). The main socioeconomic factor related to anemia is poverty (89.8%). Prenatal checkup schedule needs to be adjusted in primary care clinics in the municipality of Mara taking into consideration clinical and socioeconomic factors in order to lower the prevalence of anemia during pregnancy in this population.
authors.affiliation: Escuela de Bioanálisis, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad del Zulia, Maracaibo, Venezuela. Address: Facultad de Medicina, Escuela de Bioanálisis, Planta Baja. Final Av. 20 al lado de la Maternidad Castillo Plaza, Maracaibo, Estado Zulia, Venezuela. Email: ayariavila@yahoo.es.
authors.forename: Ayari Guadalupe
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Avila
authors.affiliation: Escuela de Bioanálisis, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad del Zulia, Maracaibo, Venezuela.
authors.forename: Lenis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: García
authors.affiliation: Escuela de Bioanálisis, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad del Zulia, Maracaibo, Venezuela.
authors.forename: María
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gómez
authors.affiliation: Escuela de Bioanálisis, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad del Zulia, Maracaibo, Venezuela.
authors.forename: Nixon
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Villanueva
authors.affiliation: Escuela de Bioanálisis, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad del Zulia, Maracaibo, Venezuela.
authors.forename: Betty
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Benítez
authors.affiliation: Escuela de Bioanálisis, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad del Zulia, Maracaibo, Venezuela.
authors.forename: Belkis
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fuentes
mesh_terms: D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities; D000740:Anemia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004909:Erythrocyte Indices; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000097:blood*; D011203:Poverty; D011247:Pregnancy; D011250:Pregnancy Complications, Hematologic / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D011320:Primary Health Care; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014687:Venezuela / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D007501:Iron
keywords: anemia; pregnancy; serum iron levels; socioeconomic factors