Tracking the association of severity of anemia during pregnancy by hematological and relevant biochemical parameters

Background: Anemia is a common ailment during pregnancy, and various factors have effect on accentuating the severity and incidence of anemia. Objectives: The present study was designed to determine the profile of anemia, grade the severity of anemia in pregnant women, and assess the level of various relevant biochemical parameters in the study population. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in 530 cases of pregnant women attending antenatal clinic at M. Y. Hospital during 2015-2016. Sociodemographic information and blood samples were collected from all the participants. Parameters studied included hemoglobin (Hb), red blood cell (RBC), packed cell volume (PCV), mean cell volume, mean cell hemoglobin (MCH), MCH concentration, iron profile, and vitamin B12 in each age group, trimester, parity, and morphological types. Results: Results showed that parity incidence of anemia was similar in all parameters. Anemia is more common in the second and third trimesters. Anemia of all types is more prevalent in the age group of 21-30 years. Conclusion: It can be concluded that there were close correlations of the various hematological parameters, for example, PCV, total RBC counts, and absolute values with both the severity and the type of anemia. Iron profile-binding capacities are valuable indices for diagnosing the cause of anemia and for detecting latent cases of iron deficiency anemia which may reveal them with the progression of pregnancy. All the cases of macrocytic anemia were vitamin B12 deficient.