PREVALENCE OF ANEMIA AND THE RISK FACTORS INVOLVED IN PREGNANT WOMEN OF QUETTA VALLEY

Objective: To find the prevalence of Anemia in pregnant females of Quetta Valley and to identify the risk factors involved in causing anemia Introduction: Anemia is a major health issue in the developing world, especially in the females of fertile age. Many studies show that the incidence is increasing day by day. Anemia in pregnant women poses a grave danger to the physical and mental health of the growing fetus. Patients and Methods: A sample size of four hundred pregnant females was taken and interviewed. The study was conducted in the public-sector hospital of Quetta. Demographic data was collected on the specially designed Performa and the blood sample was taken for the estimation of hemoglobin levels and ferritin levels. Data was analyzed on SPSS 11. Results: In our study, we found that 96% of pregnant females had anemia of varying severity, the majority being moderately anemic. Analysis of demographics showed that anemia was more prevalent in younger (mean age was 32.5 years) and underweight females. Poor socioeconomic status was a contributing factor in anemia (p-value <0.05). Analysis of the risk factors showed that mud eating was common among those with severe anemia (p-value <0.05). Multiple and frequent pregnancies, beetle nut consumption and excessive tea intake were associated with low hemoglobin levels, p-value was found highly significant. We It was found that 50% of the females had low ferritin levels resulting in iron deficiency anemia. Conclusion: Consumption of balanced healthy diet and iron supplementation during pregnancy can prevent anemia in many females. Keywords: Anemia, Iron Deficiency, Serum Ferritin.