Haematological values in pregnant women in Port Harcourt, Nigeria II: Serum iron and transferrin, total and unsaturated iron binding capacity and some red cell and platelet indices.

Previous studies on the normal values of serum iron, unsaturated iron binding capacity, total iron binding capacity, serum transferrin, percent transferrin saturation, red cell distribution width, and various platelet indices: Platelet count, mean platelet volume, platelet distribution width, plateletcrit and platelet larger cell ratio in pregnant subjects in Nigeria are relatively scanty. Present study aims to determine the values of these parameters in apparently healthy pregnant subjects residing in Port Harcourt south eastern Nigeria; and help establish normal reference ranges of these parameters for the population under reference. Cross sectional prospective study involving 220 female subjects attending for the first time, the ante-natal clinics of a tertiary health care facility in Port Harcourt. Subjects were divided into 73, 75 and 72 subjects in the first, second and third trimester of pregnancy respectively. Serum iron and unsaturated iron binding capacity, red cell distribution width, platelet count and platelet distribution width were determined by automated methods; total iron binding capacity, serum transferrin concentrations, percent transferrin saturation, mean platelet volume and plateletcrit were calculated using appropriate formulas. The values of serum iron, unsaturated iron binding capacity, total iron binding capacity and serum transferrin concentrations were found to show significant variations between the various trimesters of pregnancy. However, while serum iron showed significant decreases during pregnancy; unsaturated iron binding capacity, total iron binding capacity and serum transferrin concentrations were found to show significant increases during pregnancy amongst our subjects (p<0.05). By contrast the values of red cell distribution width, platelet count, mean platelet volume, platelet distribution width, plateletcrit and platelet larger cell ratio did not show any significant differences at the different trimesters of pregnancy in our subjects (p>0.05). The present study reports, for the first time, normative values for these parameters in apparently healthy pregnant subjects in Port Harcourt south eastern Nigeria. Apparently, increases in unsaturated and total iron binding capacity and serum transferrin values seen amongst our subjects with increasing gestation may perhaps be a mechanism to ensure a fetal adequate iron delivery on account of the decreasing serum iron concentration with gestation in our subjects. The study suggests that values of serum transferrin are perhaps a more useful screening tool for iron deficiency anemia during pregnancy amongst our subjects.