Abstract

Anemia is a common health problem in women in developing countries since anemia is more common in
women than men due to physiological processes. This study was conducted in Zawia area and included
210 women of childbearing age (18-45years) who were visiting Zawia teaching hospital. After filing the
questionnaire, blood samples were taken and analyzed for hematological and biochemical profiles.
Biochemical tests included serum iron, ferritin, and total-iron binding capacity. Among the total sample
(210women), there were 87(41.4%) pregnant and 123 (58.6%) non-pregnant women (including married
and single). Pregnant women (87) were classified according to the gestational age into first, second, and
third trimesters. Out of 87 pregnant women, there were 7 (8.04%) pregnant women in the first
trimester,34 (39.1%) in the second trimester, and 46 (52.9%) pregnant women in the third trimester. The
mean biochemical and hematological parameters in the studied samples were: Hb = 10.37± 2.03 g /dl,
serum iron = 61.86 ± 40. 28 µg / dl, TIBC = 386.01 ± 94.91 µg / dl, serum ferritin = 29.45 ± 30.59 ng / ml and
RBC = 3.78 ± 1.03 m /cmm. This study considers that women with hemoglobin below 11.5g/dl are anemic.
89.1%, 69.5%, and 47.8% of pregnant women who belonged in the third trimester had low Hb, serum
iron, and ferritin, i.e., iron deficiency anemia was more common in the third trimester among the first and
the second trimester. Third-trimester pregnant women also had higher TIBC than in the first and second
trimesters. We have compared pregnant and non-pregnant women regarding hematological and
biochemical parameters. We found that 85%, 65.3% and 36.7% of pregnant women have low Hb, serum
iron, and ferritin.This study showed that 45 (21.5%) out of 210 women (The whole samples) had iron
deficiency anemia. i.e., 21.5% of women included in this study in Zawia area had iron deficiency anemia.
Among 45 women with iron deficiency anemia, 30 (66.6%) were pregnant, and 15 (33.3%) were nonpregnant. Therefore, the prevalence of iron deficiency anemia was higher in pregnant than in nonpregnant, which was expected. This study showed the impact of lifestyle on iron absorption in 42.4% of
women with low serum iron levels.