Pattern of anaemia and selected micronutrient deficiencies among postpartum women at a secondary care hospital in rural Northern India

Abstract

Background: Post-partum anaemia is a very prevalent problem and has the potential to affect health outcomes in both the mother and her newborn. Iron deficiency, followed by vitamin B12 deficiency and folate deficiency are important causes of anaemia, affecting pregnancy outcomes. The aim of the study was to assess the levels of folic acid, ferritin, and vitamin B12 among postpartum women aged 20 to 35 years admitted to a secondary care hospital in rural Ballabgarh, Haryana, India for observation post delivery.
Methods: Post-partum anaemic women who had a normal vaginal delivery and were confined for observation for 48 hours in the hospital ward. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic details. Point-of-care testing was done to screen for anaemia followed by venous sampling for ferritin, folate and vitamin B 12 estimation.
Results: A total of 100 anaemic post- partum women were studied. It was seen that 66% women were observed to be ferritin deficient, 58% women were folate deficient, and 24 % women had serum vitamin B12 levels between 203 and 159 pg/mL and 55% of the women had serum vitamin B12 levels less than 159 pg/mL. Dimorphic anaemia was found in 38% women, whereas 40% were deficient of ferritin and B12 levels.
Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of anaemia among post-partum women with iron, vitamin B 12 and folate deficiency being the most common causes.

DOI:https://doi.org/10.24321/2455.7048.202506

How to cite this article:
Kaur R, Das S, Kant S. Pattern of anaemia and selected micronutrient deficiencies among anaemic postpartum women at a secondary care hospital in rural Northern India. Epidem Int. 2025;10(4):1-6.