Relación entre las reservas de hierro maternas y del recién nacido

Abstract

Objective. To establish the relationship of normal, low, and moderate blood iron values in mothers and their newborns. Material and Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 163 pregnant women and their newborns, users of Hospital de Ginecología y Obstetricia número 15, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, from Chihuahua, Mexico. The mothers' clinical histories were collected and analyzed; hemoglobin, hematocrit, and ferritin serum levels were measured in maternal and umbilical cord samples. Iron maternal stores were determined by ferritin (μg/l) values as follows: low: ≤11; moderate: 12-20; and normal: ≥20.1. The Kruskal- Wallis test was used to establish differences among group; the chi-squared test to determine differences of proportions; and Pearson's correlation coefficient for assessing the association between maternal and newborn iron stores. Results. A weak correlation between maternal and neonatal ferritin was found (r=0.14, p=0.07). Geometric means of neonatal ferritin for low, moderate, and normal maternal iron stores were 4.77, 4.85, and 5.02 respectively (p=0.12). The maternal iron stores changed after iron supplementation (p=0.01). Conclusions. Iron stores in mothers and their newborns are closely related. Women who take iron supplements during pregnancy have significantly higher iron stores at the end of pregnancy.