ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Pregnancy is a condition that predisposes women to anemia, a problem which is easily solved with the identification of susceptible patients and with proper treatment. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of anemia in the study group, the characteristics of the patients, and assess the impact of iron therapy in anemic pregnant women. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective study was done in 98 pregnant patients who attended a medical office in San Luis Potosi, S.L.P, between 2010 and 2011. The studied variables were: hemoglobin and hematocrit concentration for anemia diagnosis. Statistical analysis was performed using Epi Info-7 for the association between variables. RESULTS: The prevalence of anemia found in the study was 4.08% in the first weeks of gestation. 75% of those patients were overweight or obese, and as the pregnancy progressed prevalence increased to 16.32%. The patients whose anemia was detected between weeks 28-33 of gestation had 4.58 times the risk of having it than those who were detected in the first trimester (p < .05). While anemia was more frequent among women with overweight or obesity 5% (n = 3), no statistically significant difference with normal weight women was observed in early pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of anemia increased as pregnancy progressed, therefore It is necessary that the physician requests the patient 3 or 4 blood studies to keep adequate prenatal care and have the opportunity for early detection of anemia.
