RESUMO
Background: It has been assessed that around 32 million pregnant women are affected by anemia globally. Aim and Objective: The aim of this study was to assess anemia among pregnant women attending antenatal outpatient department of Central Referral Hospital and to assess the risk factors associated with anemia. Materials and Methods: Venous blood was collected from 250 antenatal women to access the hemoglobin level, red blood cell count, hemoglobin concentration (Hb), mean cell volume (MCV), mean cell hemoglobin (MCH), and mean cell hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) and platelet count. Pretested questionnaires with a face to face interview to assess the risk factors associated with anemia were carried out. Results: The general prevalence of anemia in the antenatal group was 13.6%. Furthermore, the prevalence of anemia (P = 0.031) was more among multiparas (14.70%) then primiparas (12.60%). Furthermore, we found that anemia was more common in patients residing in rural areas (79.50%) than in urban areas (20.50%). Furthermore, the educational qualification of the subjects was significantly related to anemia (P = 0.006) with the percentage prevalence of anemia most common among high school group (27.20%) then graduates (8.20%) and postgraduates (4.70%). Conclusion: In this study, the prevalence of anemia in pregnant women in Sikkim was found to be low with iron deficiency anemia being the most common, but other causes of anemia were also found to be substantial. Hence, a detailed community-based studies to assess the true burden as well as causes of this disease are imperative to further decrease its prevalence.