Iron Deficiency Anemia in Pregnancy

Anemia is a common problem in obstetrics and perinatal care. Any hemoglobin below 10.5 g/ dL can be regarded as true anemia regardless of gestational age. Reasons for anemia in pregnancy are mainly nutritional deficiencies, parasitic and bacterial diseases and inborn red cell disorders such as thalassemias. Main cause of anemia in obstetrics is iron deficiency, which has a worldwide prevalence between estimated 20-80 % of especially female population. Stages of iron deficiency are depletion of iron stores, iron deficient erythropoiesis without anemia and iron deficiency anemia, the most pronounced form of iron deficiency.

Source: Seminars in Hematology - July 10, 2015 Category: Hematology Authors: Christian Breymann Source Type: research