Iron Deficiency Anemia in Pregnancy

Through its functions in oxygen delivery, electron transport, and enzymatic activity, iron is crucial for the operation of all cells. High metabolic rate cells need more iron and are more likely to malfunction when there is an iron deficit. Since the mother's blood volume expands during pregnancy, and the fetus grows and develops, there is a sharp increase in the need for iron. Negative pregnancy outcomes, such as increased maternal sickness, low birthweight, preterm, and intrauterine growth restriction, are linked to iron deficiency. IDA, or nutritional iron deficiency anemia, affects more than two billion people worldwide and is the most prevalent disease. Based on the regression-based analysis, the prevalence of anemia in the World Health Organization's global database was calculated to be 14%. According to recent data, there are 17.4% more IDA cases among pregnant women in industrialized countries than in poor ones (up to 56% more cases). Despite the fact that oral iron supplementation is frequently used to treat IDA, not all patients benefit from oral iron therapy. This is caused by a number of things, which include the adverse effects of oral iron, resulting in low compliance and ineffectiveness. In a sizable group of patients taking oral iron preparations, the adverse effects primarily include GI symptoms. Intravenous iron was previously underutilized since it was linked to unfavorable and occasionally dangerous side effects. New type II and III iron complexes have been created recently, though, and they offer superior compliance and toleration in addition to strong efficacy and a good safety profile.