Role of maternal Anemia on cord hemoglobin and infant hemoglobin and ferritin level at nine months of age

ABSTRACT

Background: Primary objective was to compare hemoglobin at 9 months and secondary objective was to compare birth weight, cord hemoglobin and serum ferritin at 9 months between infants born to anaemic and non anaemic mothers.Methods: In this prospective cohort study, we compared cord hemoglobin, birth weight, hemoglobin at 09 months & serum ferritin at 09 months in infants of anaemic and non anaemic mothers. 'Subject of the study was all inborn term infants (n = 344).Results: Cord blood hemoglobin was similar between infants born to anaemic and non anaemic mothers. However, infants born to anaemic mothers weighed less at birth and had lower hemoglobin at 9 months of age.Conclusions: Infants born to anaemic mothers are at higher risk of developing anaemia in late infancy which may remain undetected at birth.