ROLE OF IRON DEFICIENCY ANEMIA IN CHILDBEARING WOMEN ON NEONATAL WEIGHT

Iron deficiency is one of the most common nutritional problems in the world, It is frequently found in both developed and developing countries and mainly affects women of childbearing age. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship of iron deficiency anemia in pregnant women on neonatal weight. The study subjects were a group of 241 women aged between 20 and 34 years who were divided to anemic (118 subjects as case) and nonanemic (123 subjects as control) groups. Iron deficiency anemia was determined by measurements of plasma ferritin, T.I.B.C., total iron, hemoglobin and hematocrit, and subsequently the weight of the neonate was also determined. Results showed that depleted iron stores in the anemic group has no statistically significant effect on neonatal weight (t-test= 0.73, D,F.= 239,p>t= 0.4654). Lower, depleted iron stores were observed in the anemic group with high parity and decreased intervals of pregnancy. It is concluded that the occurrence of iron deficiency anemia in pregnant women during the third trimester has no relationship with neonatal weight, but according to some published results this relationship exists during the first trimester.