Incidence of anemia among obstetric patients in an appalachian teaching clinic

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study is to determine the incidence of iron deficiency anemia in an obstetrics clinic with a secondary objective to determine predictors of iron deficiency anemia. Methods: This is a retrospective study of obstetric patients from the Charleston Area Medical Center Women's Medicine Center, a clinic at Women and Children's Hospital. Data were collected on Women's Medicine Center patients who delivered at Women and Children's Hospital during a 1-year interval, through chart review linked with hospital database and birth certificate data for comorbidities. Results: Inclusion criteria were met by 685 patients. Anemia was present in 32/619(5.2%) at intake and in 191/670(28.5%) at delivery. The prevalence throughout pregnancy was 35.6%. Anemia was detected at first encounter or at 28 weeks in 123(18.0 %) patients who were also tested at delivery. Of the 52(42.3%) who received iron supplementation, 35(67.3 %) remained anemic at delivery. There were no statistically significant predictors. Conclusion: Anemia continues to plague obstetrical patients and its prevalence in our patient population was surprisingly high. Further investigation is warranted to better understand the apparent ineffectiveness of iron supplementation. © Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S. All rights reserved.