Gestational Anemia: The Factors Associated and the Outcomes in the Mother and the Infant Tebbani Fouzia * , Oulamara Hayet , Agli Abdenacer Institute of Nutrition, Food and Food Technologies, Laboratory of Nutrition and Food Technologies Constantine University, Constantine, Algeria ABSTRACT Background: Maternal anemia is considered a risk factor for pregnancy, because it is hazardous to both mother and fetus. Our study aimed to determine in each trimester of pregnancy the factors associated with anemia and the outcomes in the mother and infant in a cohort of Algerian pregnant women. Methods: We conducted a prospective and longitudinal cohort study of 300 women from December 2013 to July 2016. All consenting women attending antenatal consultation and had undergone complete blood count were included in the study. Sociodemographic characteristics and individual’s obstetrical history were collected. Factors associated to maternal anemia were investigated during each trimester of pregnancy. Data on delivery term, delivery mode and birth outcomes were collected. We performed a bivariate analysis using the Chi-square test for proportions, Student’s t-test, or one-way ANOVA for continuous variables and multiple comparisons. Results: The rate of gestational anemia was 58.0%. The average concentration of hemoglobin, hematocrit, blood volume and platelets were lower in anemic pregnant women. Factors associated with anemia were: lower hemoglobin levels, lower BMI in the 3rd trimester, inadequate gestational weight gain, insufficient caloric intake in the 1st and 3rd trimesters and non supplementation with iron. Maternal anemia increased the risk of low birth weight in early and late pregnancy and the risk of overrun term in mid and late pregnancy. Conclusion: Various antropomethric, haematological and nutritional factors affected gestational anemia. Gestational anemia was associated with increased risks of maternal and fetal complications. Community-based interventions should be enhanced considering the identified associated factors. Key words: Pregnancy; Anemia; Cohort study; Associated factors; Adverse outcomes. INTRODUCTION Anemia is a condition characterized as a low level of hemoglobin in the blood, as evidenced by a reduced quality or quantity of red blood cells which decreases oxygen-carrying capacity to tissues [1, 2]. It occurs at all age groups, but is more prevalent in pregnant women [3]. Gestational anemia is defined as a hemoglobin less than 11.0 g/dl in the first and third trimesters of pregnancy and less than 10.5 g/dl in the second trimester and it is one of the most common problems in obstetrics [2]. Around 40% of women begin their pregnancy with low or absent iron stores (serum ferritin <30 mg/l) and up to 90% have iron stores of <500 mg (serum ferritin <70 mg/l) worldwide, which is insufficient to meet the increased iron needs during pregnancy and postpartum [4]. In Africa the prevalence of anemia among pregnant women was 57.1% [2] which is associated with adverse health outcomes for both mother and infant, like maternal mortality, perinatal mortality, growth restriction and low birth weight [5, 6]. Some other countries report prevalence of 16.8 %, 22.1 %, 24.4 % 32.8 %, 41.6 % and 100 % respectively in Iran, Uganda, the United Kingdom, Ethiopia, India and Turkey [7, 8]. C l i n i c s i n M ot h e r an d C h i l d H e a l t h ISSN: 2090-7214 Clinics in Mother and Child Health Research Article Correspondence to: Tebbani Fouzia, Institute of Nutrition, Food and Food Technologies (INATAA), Laboratory of Nutrition and Food Technologies (LNTA), Constantine University, Constantine, Algeria; E-mail: fouziatebani@yafoo.fr Received: June 20, 2020; Accepted: July 15, 2020; Published: July 22, 2020 Citation: Fouzia T, Hayet O, Abdenacer A (2020) Gestational Anemia: The Factors Associated and the Outcomes in the Mother and the Infant. Clinics Mother Child Health. 17: 352. DOI: 10. 35248/2090-7214. 20. 17. 352. Copyright: © 2020 Fouzia T, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Clinics Mother Child Health, Vol.17 Iss.4 No:1000352 1