IDA and minor β-thalassemic pregnant women’s hematological parameters study after iron supplementation

Objective: This study aims to examine the effect of prescribing oral iron supplements on hematological parameters in three groups of pregnant women with β-thalassemia minor and Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA), pregnant women with IDA, and pregnant women with minor β-thalassemia. Method: The extant paper was conducted using an experimental study with a type of clinical trial. This study was carried out in two public hospitals (Arash Women Hospital and Shahid Akbar Abadi Hospital) and two private centers (Dr. Ziaee’s and Dr. Marsousi’s clinics). In this research, 81 eligible pregnant women were assigned to three groups. All subjects were asked to do complete blood count (CBC) and ferritin tests within two stages. Subjects were tested in the first trimester of pregnancy and third trimester of pregnancy (28-32 weeks) after receiving iron supplements. The selected women were matched in the context of age, socio-economic status, and the number of pregnancies. Results: There was a significant difference between the mean value of ferritin and MCV before receiving iron supplements in three groups. After receiving iron supplements, a significant difference was observed between hematological parameters of hemoglobin, ferritin, and MCV of three studied groups. Comparison between blood parameters of groups before and after receiving iron supplements did not indicate any significant difference between mean values of ferritin before and after iron supplements taken by three studied groups. Conclusion: Iron supplement consumption increased mean levels of ferritin, hemoglobin, and MCV among pregnant women with iron deficiency anemia. In the group of pregnant women with β-thalassemia minor without iron deficiency anemia, iron supplements led to a significant increase in MCV and ferritin levels. There was a similar iron intake rate in all three studied groups after receiving iron supplements. Iron overload was not observed in women with β-thalassemia minor.