Red cell distribution width is early marker for detection of iron deficiency anemia during pregnancy

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the frequency of iron deficiency anemia in pregnancy and to analyzed the diagnostic value of RDW and compared it with non-anemic pregnant women. METHODOLOGY: Descriptive / observational study at LUH Hospital Hyderabad, Sindh from April to October 2015. Total two hundred pregnant women were selected from which 100 non-anemic pregnant women as a control and 100 anemic pregnant women as experimental group were selected. Subjects were selected through non-probability purposive sampling. Blood samples were collected in bottles containing EDTA as an anticoagulant for complete blood counts. Serum iron and ferritin levels were measured. Data were analyzed using SPSS v.16. Chi Square & Student t-test applied. RESULTS: Mean±SD RDW in anemic and non-anemic pregnant women was noted as 12.83±1.03% and 17.32±3.42% respectively with highly significant p-value of 0.0001. Anemia was noted in (87%) from 100 pregnant women, and the RDW was found raised in 83% women with raised RDW, 73 women showed iron deficiency anemia, RDW showed excellent sensitivity and specificity of 92% and 84.7% respectively. CONCLUSION: The present study reports iron deficiency in pregnant women. Raised RDW was noted in iron deficiency anemia of pregnancy. RDW showed 92% sensitivity and 84.7% specificity for predicting iron deficiency anemia of pregnancy; hence it may prove of diagnostic and predictive value in clinical practice. It is concluded that the RDW is inexpensive compared to iron profile testing, hence it may be used as initial screening tools in iron deficiency of pregnancy.