Considerations on gestational and newborn anemia in Peru: a narrative review

Gonzales G.F.; Ordoñez-Aquino C.; Vásquez-Velásquez C. · Revista Peruana de Ginecologia y Obstetricia (2023) · DOI: 10.31403/rpgo.v69i2569

Resumen

Anemia during pregnancy is considered a public health problem, due to the alarming prevalence worldwide. The measure chosen by various governments is massive iron supplements. However, there is currently contradictory evidence on iron intake, excess consumption, and potential risks during pregnancy for both the mother and child. For gestation, an additional 1 gram of iron is required for the mother, fetus, placenta, and delivery. This generates an increase in red mass of 20% but to avoid hemoconcentration the plasma volume expands by almost 50% generating a physiological hemodilution. For pregnant women, no criteria have been established to differentiate iron deficiency anemia and physiological anemia due to the normal process of hemodilution. In the case of Peru and countries with high altitude resident population, there is an additional problem, the hemoglobin correction factor for high altitude residence, which is a mathematically and arbitrarily determined value. Recent evidence suggests that this factor should be reevaluated because it does not consider ethnicity and generational time of residence at high altitude. The present review provides an update and discussion of the diagnostic criteria for anemia, iron supplementation, the hemoglobin correction factor for altitude of residence, and the impact of environmental pollution on the gestation process.

Instituciones: Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia; Universidad Tecnológica del Perú