Prevalence of Anaemia among Pregnant Women Attending 82 Division Nigerian Army Hospitals, Enugu

Abstract

Introduction
Anaemia is the most common hematologic abnormality diagnosed in pregnancy. It continues to be a major health problem in many developing countries and is associated with increased rates of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality.
Material and Methods
This is a retrospective study of 400 pregnant women who attended antenatal care at the 82 division Nigerian army hospital, Enugu State, Nigeria. Their antenatal case records were retrieved from the records department and the antenatal records unit of the hospital. All the relevant information were retrieved and analyzed.
Result
Using the World Health Organization (WHO)criterion of packed red cells (PCV)<33% to define Anaemia in pregnancy, a number of our pregnant women at booking, 184(46%) were anemic at booking with 152(38%) being mildly anemic, 24(4%) moderately anemic, while 8(2%) pregnant woman presented severe Anaemia.

Conclusion
Anaemia in pregnancy has an unacceptably high prevalence in our pregnant population at booking, and all efforts must be made to correct this widespread problem as early as possible using the most appropriate and expeditious means to avoid preventable calamities.