Anaemia among females in child-bearing age: Relative contributions, effects and interactions of α- and β-thalassaemia

• Published in: PloS one 2018-11, Vol.13 (11), p.e0206928-e0206928
• Main Authors: Mettananda, Sachith, Suranjan, Marius, Fernando, Roshale, Dias, Tiran, Mettananda, Chamila, Rodrigo, Rexan, Perera, Lakshman, Gibbons, Richard, Premawardhena, Anuja, Higgs, Douglas
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Age; alpha-Thalassemia - blood; alpha-Thalassemia - complications; alpha-Thalassemia - diet therapy; alpha-Thalassemia - genetics; Anemia; Anemia - blood; Anemia - complications; Anemia - diet therapy; Anemia - genetics; Anemia, Iron-Deficiency - blood; Anemia, Iron-Deficiency - complications; Anemia, Iron-Deficiency - genetics; Anemia, Iron-Deficiency - pathology; Bearing; beta-Thalassemia - blood; beta-Thalassemia - complications; beta-Thalassemia - diet therapy; beta-Thalassemia - genetics; Biology and Life Sciences; Birth weight; Blood diseases; Childrens health; Dietary Supplements; Family medical history; Female; Females; Ferritin; Ferritins - blood; Global health; Health problems; Hematology; Hemoglobin; Humans; Infant, Low Birth Weight; Iron; Iron - blood; Iron - deficiency; Iron - therapeutic use; Laboratories; Low birth weight; Malaria; Medicine; Medicine and Health Sciences; Nutrient deficiency; Obstetrics; People and places; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications, Hematologic - blood; Pregnancy Complications, Hematologic - genetics; Pregnancy Complications, Hematologic - prevention & control; Premature birth; Premature Birth - blood; Premature Birth - pathology; Public health; Sri Lanka - epidemiology; Supplements; Surveys and Questionnaires; Teaching methods; Thalassemia; Weight; Womens health; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0206928

Anaemia in women during pregnancy and child bearing age is one of the most common global health problems. Reasons are numerous, but in many cases only minimal attempts are made to elucidate the underlying causes. In this study we aim to identify aetiology of anaemia in women of child bearing age and to determine the relative contributions, effects and interactions of α- and β-thalassaemia in a region of the world where thalassaemia is endemic. A cross sectional study was conducted at the Colombo North Teaching Hospital of Sri Lanka. The patient database of deliveries between January 2015 and September 2016 at University Obstetrics Unit was screened to identify women with anaemia during pregnancy and 253 anaemic females were randomly re-called for the study. Data were collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire and haematological investigations were done to identify aetiologies. Out of the 253 females who were anaemic during pregnancy and were re-called, 8 were excluded due to being currently pregnant. Of the remaining 245 females, 117(47.8%) remained anaemic and another 22(9.0%) had non-anaemic microcytosis. Of anaemic females, 28(24.8%) were iron deficient, 40(35.4%) had low-normal serum ferritin without fulfilling the criteria for iron deficiency,18(15.3%) had β-haemoglobinopathy trait and 20(17.0%) had α-thalassaemia trait. Of females who had non-anaemic microcytosis, 14(66.0%) had α-thalassaemia trait. In 4 females, both α- and β-thalassaemia trait coexist. These females had higher levels of haemoglobin (p = 0.06), MCV (p