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Features |
Complications |
Management |
General Treatment |
Specific Therapy
Introduction:
Most common anaemia during pregnancy is iron
deficiency anaemia. The woman
who has got enough iron reserve and is on balanced diet is unlikely
to develop anaemia during pregnancy. But if the iron reserve is less
or absent, the factors which could cause anemia
are:
- Decreased intake of iron like seen in
women belonging to low socioeconomic group, faulty eating habits,
loss of appetite & vomiting.
- Disturbed formation of blood during
pregnancy, which is normal.
- Pre-pregnant health status of the
woman (if she had anemia before pregnancy).
- Abnormal demands like in twin
pregnancy or recurring pregnancies.
- Teenage
pregnancies.
Commonly
seen anaemia is Iron
deficiency anaemia.
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Features:
- If anaemia is not severe there may not
be any symptoms. But if it is severe, then common features are:
- Lethargy and feeling of exhaustion
all the time.
- Loss of weight, indigestion, palpitation, breathing difficulty, giddiness &
swelling of legs.
Investigation:
- Investigations help to confirm the
diagnosis. Any person who has haemoglobin
level less than 10 gm % needs to be thoroughly investigated.
- Along with blood tests, stool &
urine also has to be tested.
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Complications:
Complications occuring due to severe anaemia are:
- Repeated infections occur due to
decreased resistance of the body to infections.
- Heart failure may occur.
- Preterm labour (labour starting before
time).
- During labour severe anaemia causes:
- Excessive bleeding after delivery
called post partum haemorrhage.
- Heart failure.
- Shock
- During Puerparium (time after
delivery).
- Sepsis may occur.
- Failure of uterus to come back to
normal size.
- Failing of lactation may occur.
- Effect on baby
- Prematurity is commonly seen.
- Intra uterine death of the baby
may occur.
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Management:
It would be divided into
(2)-
- Prophylactic (prevention)
- To avoid frequent child births.
- Supplementary iron tablets to be
taken..
- Food rich in iron to be eaten..
- Early detection of this deficiency.
- Adequate treatment is to be taken..
- Curative
- Anaemia is not a disease but a sign
of underlying disorders. Treatment must be preceded by accurate
diagnosis of the cause of anaemia & type of anaemia.
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General Treatment:
- Diet
- Balanced diet rich in protiens, iron
& Vitamins, food like liver, meat, egg, green vegetables,
green peas, figs, beans, whole wheat & green bananas etc.is
to be taken.
- Effective treatment is to cure the
diseases which is causing anaemia.
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Specific Therapy:
Main aim is to increase haemoglobin level and keep it that way till
patient goes into labour.
Choice of therapy depends
upon-
- Severity of anaemia.
- Duration of pregnancy and
- Associated complicating
factor.
Iron
Therapy :
- Oral
- Iron has to be taken in the form of
medicine..
- Parenteral
- Injections of iron is
given..Haemoglobin takes 4-10 weeks to come to normal or near
normal depending upon severity of the anaemia.
Blood transfusion
is given in severe anaemia and those occuring in later months of
pregnancy (beyond 36 weeks).
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