Descriptive Study of Anemia in Pregnant Women in the Beni Mellal-Khenifra Region

Abstract

Background: In low- and middle-income countries, anemia during pregnancy remains a major cause of maternal and neonatal mortality. Purpose: There are currently no reports on anemia among pregnant women in the Beni Mellal-Khenifra region. This study aims to assess and describe anemia in pregnant women in this area. Methods: The full blood count was performed using the SYSMEX XS-1000i Automated Hematology Analyzer (Sysmex Corporation, Kobe, Japan) in Whole Blood Mode. The measured indices included RBCs, WBCs, Hb, MCV, and MCHC.  Results: In this study, 74.0% of the total sample of pregnant women were anemic. Among these anemic women, the types of anemia observed included 21.4% (micro hypo cases, n=63), 8.1% (micronormo cases, n=24), 2.0% (normo hypo cases, n=6), and 68.5% (normo normo cases, n=202). Regarding age distribution among the anemic pregnant women, 5.1% (n=15) were under 20 years old, 49.1% (n=145) were between 20 and 30 years old, and 45.8% (n=135) were over 30 years old. Hematological analysis of all studied pregnant women provided valuable information on hematological indices, such as red blood cells (RBCs), with 70.5% of anemic pregnant women having less than 4.20 million cells per mm³; hemoglobin (Hb), with 55.6% below 12 g/dl; mean corpuscular volume (MCV), with 29.2% less than 80 fL; mean corpuscular hemoglobin content (MCHC), with 22.0% below 27 pg; platelets (Pla), with 93.2% within normal levels; and blood sugar (BS), which remained relatively stable. Conclusion: Overall, this descriptive epidemiological study highlights the significant prevalence of anemia among pregnant women in the Beni Mellal region and the variety of anemia types present. The findings emphasize the urgent need to enhance public health efforts to improve maternal health and reduce the risks associated with anemia during pregnancy.