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.

Keywords

• anemia
• pregnancy
• serum iron levels
• socioeconomic factors