RESUMO
Background: Pregnant women constitute a high risk group for iron deficiency due to increased iron requirements for foetal and maternal tissues growth. This study sought to find out the prevalence of iron deficiency among Ghanaian pregnant women obtaining antenatal care at the University hospital, Kumasi, Ghana. Methods: The study was conducted between January and May, 2013. A total of 180 women, 150 at various stages of pregnancy and 30 non-pregnant women as control group were recruited for the study. Information on socio-demographic characteristics was obtained from the subjects by means of face-to-face interviews. Using venous blood samples, iron status of subjects was assessed by the determination of haemoglobin, haematocrit, mean cell volume, red cell distribution width, serum ferritin, serum iron, serum transferrin, total iron binding capacity, unoccupied iron binding capacity and percentage saturation of transferrin. Intestinal helminthic infestation was determined by stool examination. Results: Decreasing levels of haemoglobin, serum iron, transferrin, Total iron binding capacity and increasing levels of Mean cell volume and RDW-SD were observed as pregnancy advanced. None of the subjects had helminthic infestation. Anaemia, iron deficiency (ID) and iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) were present in 44.0%, 21.5% and 10.4% of the pregnant women, respectively. These prevalence rates increased as pregnancy advanced to term (15.2%, 51.2%, 56.0% for anaemia; 13.8%, 22.9%, 26.1% for ID and 0%, 12.0%, 17.4% for IDA, respectively for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd trimesters). Conclusions: In spite of iron supplementation in pregnancy, a high percentage of the pregnant women are iron deficient and/or anaemic and this remains a public health problem.