This study aimed to evaluate anemia in pregnant women, comparing results of hemoglobin and hemotocrit dosages with analysis of iron serum status markers. 92 pregnant women, in pre-natal attendance in Public Health Service of Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil, participated in this study. A questionnaire was used to access anthropometric data and life style information. Serum levels of iron, latent iron binding capacity (LIBC), total iron binding capacity (TIBC), transferrin saturation (TS), transferrin, ferritin, and blood levels of hemoglobin and hematocrit were measured by automated methods, using commercially available kits. The study showed that 26.1% of the pregnant women had hemoglobin levels below 11 g/dL. Also, of the pregnant women with normal levels of hemoglobin, 17.4% showed inadequate iron levels and 9.8% low levels of ferritin. Ferritin and hemoglobin levels showed a significant statistical difference among the trimester pregnant women (p < 0.05, ANOVA). Theses results suggest that the dosage of hemoglobin together with other iron serum markers can make for a more specific evaluation of iron deficiency in pregnancy.
Pregnancy; Iron; Anemia; Hemoglobin
