The prevalence of anaemia among pregnant women at Hospital Kuala Lumpur from February 2015 to June 2015 / Norarina Mohd Johar

Background: Anaemia is a major public health problem in developing countries, contributing significantly to maternal morbidity and mortality as well as to the low birth weight which in turn might contribute to increased percentage for infant mortality. This study aimed at determining the prevalence of anaemia among pregnant women at Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL).
Methods: A hospital based descriptive cross-sectional study included between February 2015 and June 2015. In this study, a total of 143 subjects were eligible. Patient’s demographic data were accessed through the form.
Results: Out of 143 pregnant women enrolled in this study, 141 (98.6%) were found to be anaemic. Anaemia was more prevalent in the second, 67 (46.9%) and third, 65 (45.5%) trimesters. 103 pregnant women (73.0%) had mild anaemia, 30 pregnant women (21.3%) had moderate anaemia while only 8 pregnant women (5.7%) had severe anaemia.
Conclusion: In a nutshell, this study shows that there is high prevalence of anaemia among pregnant women at HKL. Anaemia ia the most frequent maternal complication of pregnancy. It shows anaemia is prevalent from mild to severe degree with substantial variations across trimesters. The outcomes of these suggest prevalence of anaemia may be due to associated factors and lack of deficiency of Vitamin B12, low BMI, deficient dietary consumption of foods fortified with iron and high parity.