The effect of anaemia in pregnant women on the vitality and the weight of the newborn at the medical center Gornji Milanovac

Dragan Perišić, Bojan Pavlović
Zdravstveni centar Gornji Milanovac

Summary:
Anaemia is most common medical complication in pregnancy and is manifested in more than 50% of all pregnancies. In pregnant women the type and degree of anaemia depend on the adequate nutrition and socio-economical conditions in the certain environment. Anaemia occurs when the number of erythrocytes falls below 3.7 x 1012, haemoglobin below 120 g/l, and serum iron less than 12-µ mol/ l. The aim of this report is to estimate, according to the age of the patients, their social background, and the number of previous pregnancies, number of anaemic pregnancies in the total number of the pregnancies as well as the vitality and the weight of the newborn. For the research we used the data of pregnant women who delivered their babies at the Maternity Department at the Medical Centre Gornji Milanovac during the year 2000. In the first, tested group, there were 221 patients with the confirmed anaemia. The second, control group, was represented by 100 patients without anaemia. The average age of the pregnant women with the anaemia was 28.8 years. Concerning social background, the most of them were employed - 83 or 37.6%. There was no statistically important difference in social background of the patients with or without anaemia x²=0.811, DF=4, p≥0.05. The most pregnant women were primiparae - 101 or 45.7%. In the anaemic patients the average value of Hg was 106g/l, erythrocytes - 3.22 x 1012, and serum iron - 11.04-µ mol/ l. The average weight of newborns in the mothers with anemia was 3.25 kg, in the control group 3.34 kg, and statistically significant difference was not found - t= 1.397, DF=319, pµ0.05. Examining the vitality of newborns, the authors found that the most of the babies had Appgar score 9 or 10 (114 or 51.6%) the same as in control group. Both parameters - weight and Appgar were in average lower in the children of anaemic mothers, but statistically significant difference was not confirmed.
Key words: Anaemia, pregnant women, Appgar score.