Azubuike Uma Inya¹, Amaechi Peter Achara¹, Aloysius Obinna Ikwuka^2,, Francis Chigozie Udeh², Ukoma Chi-kadibia¹, Ochima Onazi¹

Background: Anemia in pregnancy is a global public health burden. It is the commonest medical disorder of pregnancy and a major cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality in most developing countries including Nigeria. Aim: To determine the prevalence of anemia and red cell morphological patterns amongst pregnant women attending antenatal clinic of Federal Medical Center, Keffi, Nasarawa State, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective, analytical study involving 415 women at the antenatal booking clinic for a period of 16 weeks. The Packed Cell Volume (PCV) also known as hematocrit, red cell morphology, HIV status and genotype of each pregnant woman were determined. Their biodata, obstetric and medical histories, and results of the routine investigations were documented with structured questionnaires and analyzed with statistical package for social science (SPSS) software (version 20, Chicago 11, USA). Continuous variables were presented as mean and standard deviation (mean±SD), while categorical variables were presented as numbers and percentages. Comparative analysis was done with chi-square test and the level of significance was set at p<0.05. The association between anemia and some social factors was tested using t-test. Results: Mean age of respondents was 29.7±5.3 years, mean BMI was 28.0±7.2kg/m², and mean parity was 1.9±1.7. Mean packed cell volume was 32.7±3.1% and 42.5% of the women were anemic. Specifically, 29.0% and 13.5% of the women had mild and moderate anemia respectively. The commonest blood picture was microcytic hypochromia and normocytic hypochromia suggesting iron-deficiency anemia. Anemia was significantly and independently related to educational level (p=0.00) and socio-economic class (p=0.00). Conclusion: Every pregnant woman should be encouraged to obtain antenatal care, where hematinic supplements can be given for prophylaxis of iron-deficiency anemia. Appropriate clinical investigations, treatment of fever and management of HIV should be instituted for pregnant women attending antenatal care whenever and wherever necessary.

Anemia, iron-deficiency anemia, dimorphic anemia, red cell morphology, pregnancy, antenatal clinic, risk factors, prevalence