1 research outputs found
Contributions of malaria, helminths, HIV and iron deficiency to anaemia in pregnant women attending ante-natal clinic in SouthWest Nigeria
Background: Iron deficiency is a dominant source of anaemia in many
settings. To evaluate the key cause of anaemia in the study area, the
prevalence of anaemia due to major public health diseases was compared
with anaemia due to iron deficiency. Methods: Pregnant women were
recruited from ante-natal (n=490) and HIV clinics (n=217) with their
personal data documented using a questionnaire. Microscopy of
Giemsa-stained thick smears was used for detection of malaria parasites
while helminths in stools were detected using direct smear method.
Haematocrit values were determined by capillary method. Serum ferritin
levels were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Data
was analysed using SPSS version 22.0. Results: The mean age of the
recruited women was 28.6\ub15.4 years old. There were 68.1% cases of
anaemia of which 35.5% was due to infections only predominantly HIV and
malaria, 14.9% from unknown sources while anaemia due to iron
deficiency only was 7.1%. Conclusion: It can safely be inferred that
malaria and HIV predispose to anaemia than iron deficiency in the study
area. Although pregnant women are dewormed and given IPTp for helminths
and malaria treatment respectively, there should be complementary
routine malaria screening at ANC visits for those with HCT values
<33% and those infected with HIV