Maternal Anaemia and Fetal Birthweight

Abstract

Summary The pattern of fetal birthweight distribution was examined in singleton babies bora to several groups of pregnant Nigerian women: 43 of them were anaemic throughout pregnancy and also at delivery; 142 had been successfully treated for anaemia during pregnancy; 35 had sickle‐cell anaemia; and 65 served as healthy controls. The causes of anaemia were haemolysis from malaria, folate deficiency and haemoglobinopathies. When other factors known to reduce fetal birthweight were excluded, it was found that maternal anaemia (haematocrit less than 30 per cent) was itself associated with retardation of fetal growth and that this was most marked in the presence of sickle‐cell anaemia. If, at the end of pregnancy, maternal anaemia still remained uncorrected, then a 2 per cent drop in maternal haematocrit reduced fetal birthweight by about 100 g.

Correlations and Cumulative Frequency Distributions of Maternal and Newborn Hematologic Data

“…A similar conclusion was reached in another study, based on the ap parent response of birth weight to successful therapy of maternal anemia [16], The pres ent data do not suggest maternal anemia affects birth weight. Whereas the cumulative probability plot of maternal Hb levels was skewed, indicating a subpopulation with anemia, birth weights were not skewed.…”

Plasmodium/intestinal helminth co-infections among pregnant Nigerian women

“…Women are usually more susceptible to malaria infection in the first pregnancy, and there is an important association between malaria infection during pregnancy and newborn with low birthweight. Low birthweight newborns present poor immunity and increased susceptibility to infections in childhood (Harrison & Ibeziako 1973, Chandra 1988.…”

Causas y consecuencias de la deficiencia de hierro

“…Existe una asociación entre el hematocrito/hemoglobina materna, parto prematuro (<37 semanas de gestación), bajo peso de nacimiento (<2.500g) y morbi-mortalidad perinatal [23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30] . Hay evidencias que la asociación entre hemoglobina baja y parto prematuro se da sólo en los dos primeros trimestres de gestación 24,[27][28][29][30] .…”