A case controlled study of pregnancy complicated by severe maternal anaemia

The perinatal outcome of 96 patients who had an antenatal haemoglobin value of less than 8.0 g/dl was compared with that of a similar number of controls who were matched for age and parity. Sixty-one patients (63%) had iron deficiency anaemia, 25 (26%) had alpha or beta thalassaemia minor, 7 (7.3%) had iron deficiency and thalassaemia trait, 2 had idiopathic pancytopenia and 1 had haemolytic anaemia due to systemic lupus erythematosus. Patients in the study group attended the antenatal booking clinic later, had less weight gain during pregnancy and their babies had lower birth-weights (2,984 g versus 3,177 g p less than 0.01) although there was no significant difference in the period of gestation at delivery. Six patients in the study group had placental abruption and another 2 patients had stillbirths but neither of these complications occurred in the control group. Although 37 patients (39%) in the study group received an antenatal blood transfusion, 53 (55%) of this group also had postnatal anaemia.