Acta Medica Iranica (Jul 1996)
STUDY OF WOMEN'S IRON-DEFICIENCY ANAEMIA IN REPRODUCTIVE AGE REFERRED TO OBSTETRIC AND GYNECOLOGY CENTER OF HOSPITAL
Abstract
We studied the prevalence of iron-deficiency anaemia in women of reproductive age, between 15 to 49, with a mean age of 31-56±1.34 years, attending Mirzakoochak khan Hospital OB. GYN. Center for routine gynecological and obstetrical examination. We compa'tred mean values for the serum tests and haematological data and investigated etiological factors such as age, marital status, education, spouse's education, occupation, spouse's occuption, number of days of menstrual bleeding, severity of menstrual bleeding, pregnancy status, number of pregnancies, number of deliveries, intervals between successive pregnancies, ami smoking status, as probable causes of iron-deficiency anaemia in women. Moreover the relevance between occurance of iron-deficiency anaemia or ferritin serum level to etiological factors and diagnostic laboratory tests arc analyzed. A serum diagnosis of iron-deficiency was accepted on the basis of one or more of the following test results: serum ferritin levels below 12 figf with or without transferrin saturation below 16%. For the purpose of this study anaemia was difind as haemoglobin (Hb) below 12 gdf . Women have been classified into two groups of anaemic Vs normal according to the diagnosis. Prevalence of anaemia among 41 subjects with complete laboratory results was 36.58%. Moreover, the probability of occurance of iron-deficiency anaemia, in general population was fount! to be 33.3%. As a result a significant relationship was observed between occurance of iron-deficiency anaemia and diagnostic laboratory tests including serum ferritin, serum iron, total iron-binding capacity (TIBC), transferring saturation (%), Hb, haematocrit (Hct), mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC), and etiological factors such as number of days of menstrual bleeding, severity of menstrual bleeding. Same relationship was observed between serum ferritin levels and above etiological factors and laboratory tests except for MCHC ami Hct. Comparison of mean values for the continous variables showed significant differences between parameters such levels of serum ferritin and iron, TIBC, transferrin saturation (%), Hb, Hct, MCH, MCV, MCHC, number of days of menstrual bleeding in two groups. Moreover, since red cell indices including Hct, MCV, MCH, ami MCHC in anaemic group are still within normal ranges and mean of Hb levels in these subjects fall above 10 g df , studied women were suffering from a mild anaemia. Severe menstrual bleeding, among categorial variables, occurred profoundly in women suffering from iron-deficiency anaemia. Therefore it can be suggested that menorrhagia was the most common single cause of anaemia among women in the study.
