Anemia in Pregnancy is Still a Public Health Problem: A Single Center Study with Review of Literature.

Anemia is a significant public health problem during pregnancy and its prevalence varies in different cohorts. Correct identification of this problem in a given population is important for implementation of various health schemes. This study was carried out at a tertiary care hospital in Haryana. The prevalence of anemia in females at the time pregnancy diagnosis during first trimester was studied. The study period was January 2018 to June 2019. Severity of anemia was categorized as mild (hemoglobin 10-10.9 gm/dl), moderate (hemoglobin 7-9.9 gm/dl) and severe (hemoglobin < 7 gm/dl) as per the WHO definition. Relevant review of literature on prevalence of anemia in pregnancy in different Indian states was done. The median age of 388 females with diagnosis of pregnancy during first trimester was 27 years. Mean hemoglobin concentration was 10.47 gm/dl. 264 (68%) females had anemia. Out of these 191 (72.3%) had mild anemia, 65 (24.6%) had moderate anemia and eight had severe anemia. Out of the total study population, 270 (69.58%) were from rural and 118 (30.41%) were from urban background. Among the anemic pregnant females, 179 (67.8%) belonged to rural areas and 85 (32.20%) belonged to urban areas. Out of 264 patients with anemia, 87 (32.95%) patients were primigravida and 177 (67.04%) were multiparous females. The results of literature review showed a high prevalence of anemia in the other Indian states also. There is high prevalence of anemia in females at the time of diagnosis of pregnancy. Rates of anemia are higher in females with higher parity. © Indian Society of Hematology and Blood Transfusion 2019.