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Real world research

Impact of anaemia in pregnancy on maternal and fetal wellbeing in Oman: a retrospective study

02 September 2024
Research
02 September 2024
Volume 32 · Issue 9

Abstract

Background/Aims

Anaemia is associated with negative outcomes for both mothers and infants. Better understanding of its consequences could lead to improved guidelines for screening and treatment. The aim of this study was to investigate anaemia in pregnancy and adverse maternal and fetal outcomes among pregnant women in Oman.

Methods

This retrospective study examined the medical records of women who gave birth at a university hospital in Oman over a 3-year period. Chi-squared tests were used for data analysis.

Results

A total of 723 pregnant women were included, with 62.8% diagnosed with anaemia. Anaemia was significantly associated with preterm birth (P=0.037), low birth weight (P=0.009), intrauterine growth restriction (P=0.002) and postpartum heamorrhage (P=0.019).

Conclusions

Anaemia is a significant health concern for pregnant women in Oman. Further research will provide more data on its effects, informing targeted interventions and policy enhancements.

Implications for practice

Early antenatal screening, targeted iron supplementation, nutritional education, appropriate treatment and active management during birth would help address this issue.

Anaemia is a significant public health issue, affecting approximately 37% of pregnant women worldwide (World Health Organization (WHO), 2019; World Bank, 2019). It is classified as mild, moderate or severe based on specific haemoglobin thresholds (WHO, 2011). Symptoms include pallor, exhaustion, palpitations, dizziness and difficulty breathing (Chaparro and Suchdev, 2019).

Anaemia is influenced by the physiological changes that take place in the hematologic, renal and endocrine systems during pregnancy (Horowitz et al, 2013). The two key causes are hemodilution resulting from increased plasma volume in early pregnancy and inadequate increase in erythrocytes (Horowitz et al, 2013). The increased iron requirements during pregnancy make adequate iron supplementation an important measure to reduce the likelihood of developing anaemia. The WHO recommends a daily dose of 30–60mg of iron for pregnant women (Fisher and Nemeth, 2017).

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Anaemia
Oman
Pregnancy complications
Retrospective study