International Journal of Clinical Obstetrics and Gynaecology

Introduction: Globally, the prevalence of anaemia is 55.9 per cent with variations between developed and developing countries. In India, prevalence ranges between 33-89 per cent. About half of the global maternal deaths due to anaemia occur in South Asian countries; India contributes to about 80 per cent of this mortality ratio [3]. Many programmes have been introduced and implemented to reduce the burden of anaemia in the country but the decrease is lower than other South Asian countries

Materials and Methods: The prospective study was conducted in the department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Bmcri Bangalore, from January 2016 to December 2018. A total of 100 women presenting in antenatal clinic with haemoglobin between 5-9 g% were screened, consecutively. Iron sucrose was given in a dose of 200 mg intravenously twice weekly in 200 ml normal saline over a period of 15-20 min dose was given in the ward where equipment for cardiopulmonary resuscitation was available. The following doses were given on outpatient basis. Patients were observed for side effects or anaphylactic reactions. Any minor or major side effects were documented. All parameters were repeated at 2 wk interval till 8 wk. The primary outcome measures were haemoglobin and serum ferritin levels after 4 and 8 wk.

Results: The mean age of women was 27.8 ± 3.9 (range 21-34) yr and mean parity was 1.3; mean period of gestation (PDG) at the time of diagnosis was 25.69 ± 4.82 (14-32) wk. At the beginning, mean Hb was 7.63 ± 0.61 g%. Thirty two (32%) women had mild anaemia (>8 g%) and 68 per cent had moderate anaemia (5-7.9%). After completion of therapy, mean Hb raised to 11.20 ± 0.73 g%. Of the total women, 67 per cent achieved Hb ≥11 g%. The mean duration to achieve haemoglobin level more than 11 g% was 6.5 ± 2.3 wk.

Conclusion: our results showed that intravenous iron sucrose therapy was effective to treat moderate anaemia in pregnant women. Iron sucrose complex iv therapy was with negligible side effects. It caused rapid rise in haemoglobin level and the replacement of stores was faster. Long term comparative studies are required to assess if it can be used at peripheral level.