Samina Khalid, Laila Afzal, Amna Iqbal, Qurat-ul Ain, Ufaq Ishtiaq, Sunniya Siddique, Muhammad Shahid Iqbal.
Frequency of iron deficiency anemia in pregnant females attending antenatal care clinic at Sharif Medical city hospital.
J Sharif Med Dent Coll Jan ;2(02):50-6.

Objective: To determine the frequency and various predictors of iron deficiency anemia among females who are pregnant and visiting antenatal care clinic at Sharif Medical City Hospital. Methodology: It was a cross-sectional descriptive study in which 100 pregnant females attending the Gynae and Obstetrics OPD of Sharif Medical City Hospital were interviewed. Data was collected through a questionnaire, which was analyzed by using SPSS 23.0. Results: The frequency of anemia in the pregnant females was calculated to be 53%, out of which 20% had mild anemia, 31% had moderate anemia and 2% had severe anemia. Anemia was found to be more prevalent in the pregnant females >30 years of age (68.2%) and in their 3rd trimester of pregnancy (56.1%). Educational status of the pregnant women, monthly income of the household, the type of family (nuclear or extended) and the number of children were the factors that had statistically significant and definite relationship with anemia in pregnancy. Conclusion: This study showed that anemia in pregnancy is one of the serious health issues in Pakistan. Giving knowledge to women on the early start of antenatal clinic attendance and addition of iron would decrease the problem of anemia in pregnancy. Further researches should be carried out to know the exact cause of anemia in pregnancy so that appropriate steps could be taken by the Health Department to alleviate this problem. Keywords: Pregnant women. Iron Deficiency anemia. Antenatal care. Hemoglobin levels.

PakMediNet -Pakistan's largest Database of Pakistani Medical Journals - http://www.pakmedinet.com