Prevalence of Anaemia in Pregnant Women Attending the Antenatal Clinic in a Nigerian University Teaching Hospital

Abstract

Two thousand, six hundred and fifty pregnant Nigerian women attending the antenatal booking clinic of the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH), Sagamu between January 1996 and December 2000 were studied. Of these, 1,464 were anaemic (PCV = 33%), Hb = 11gm/dl) thus making the prevalence of anaemia in pregnancy in Sagamu, Nigeria 55.3%. Majority (88.9%) of these anaemic patients were mildly anaemic while 10.4% and 0.7% were moderately and severely anaemic respectively. Anaemia occurred in the second trimester in 69% of the anaemic patients. About three-quarters (72%) of these anaemic pregnant patients fall into the low socioeconomic class. The prevalence of anaemia in pregnancy decreased as the parity increased. The high prevalence rate of anaemia in pregnancy of 55.3% highlights the fact that anaemia is still a major problem in our pregnant women and further studies should be carried out to determine the causes so that more effective strategies can be designed to combat this menace.


Key Words: Anaemia, pregnancy, prevalence, Sagamu.


Nig. Medical Practitioner Vol. 44(2) 2003: 39-42