A study of Haemoglobin and serum ferritin levels in newborn babies born to anaemic women

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to assess the association between mode of delivery and the haemoglobin and serum ferritin levels of newborns, by comparing these parameters in vaginally delivered and caesarean-delivered neonates of non-anaemic mothers and mothers with iron deficiency anaemia (IDA). Methods: A total of 120 full-term pregnant women aged 18–40 years, admitted through the OPD or labour room of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, were recruited. All participants had full-term newborns without prenatal or perinatal complications. The study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital in eastern India. Results: Eighty percent of the cases had not taken iron–folic acid (IFA) supplementation during pregnancy, compared with 20% among the controls, and this difference was statistically significant. A strong correlation was observed between maternal and neonatal haemoglobin and serum ferritin levels. As the data were not normally distributed, the Spearman-Rho correlation test was applied, yielding significant results. Newborns of mothers with IDA had markedly lower haemoglobin and ferritin levels compared to those born to non-anaemic mothers, indicating that maternal IDA adversely affects neonatal iron stores. An independent t-test confirmed statistically significant differences in haemoglobin levels between cases and controls. Conclusion: Maternal IDA appears to negatively influence the iron reserves of newborns. Optimal placental iron transfer is essential for fetal development and for ensuring adequate iron stores at birth to support early infancy. When maternal iron stores are depleted, fetal iron requirements may be only partially met. Further research is warranted to explore how lower cord serum ferritin levels relate to iron status and developmental outcomes later in infancy.

 Keywords: Serum Ferritin Levels, Pregnancy, Iron Deficiency Anaemia, Newborn Iron Status