Pregnancy is associated with increased requirements for iron and increased blood volume of up to 40%. Because expansion in plasma volume is higher than the increase in the mass of red blood cells, there is a fall in hemoglobin concentration, which leads to physiological anemia, characterized with lower hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit and red blood cells, but without changes in mean corpuscular volume (MCV). Anemia in pregnancy is defined with Hb values under 110 g/L in the first trimester and under 105 g/L in the second and third trimester. Iron deficiency is thought to be the most common nutrient deficiency among pregnant women. Consequences of anemia include delayed fetal growth, premature delivery, intrauterine fetal death, postpartum depression and delayed psychomotor development of a child. It is known that in women that are not anemic daily iron supplementation of 27 mg/day is sufficient, which can be obtained from adequate nutrition or body supplies. Iron supplementation is pregnancy has been recommended by the WHO (World Health Organisation) since 1959, and this recommendation was confirmed by numerous professional associations. However, in women with anemia, or women subjected to particular dietary regimens with diminished quantity of iron, including vegetarian or vegan diet, required supplementation dosage is higher, and estimated in the literature to be 120 mg/day. The aim of this study was to analyze whether adding vitamin B12 (5 µg /100 days), along with folic acid and iron as supplement in pregnant women who are not anemic and who need only iron supplementation, will result in improvements of hematological and biochemical markers.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
200
Vitamin B12 has been added to the experimental group of pregnant women, at a dose of 5 μg / 100 days
Change of Red blood cells (RBC) count in first and second trimester
RBC count measured in SI (Systeme International) units (Nx10\*12/L)
Time frame: at two time points: on the 8th-10th and 22nd-24th weeks of pregnancy
Change of Hemoglobin (Hgb) concentration in first and second trimester
Hgb concentration in SI units (g/L)
Time frame: at two time points: on the 8th-10th and 22nd-24th weeks of pregnancy
Change of Hematocrit in first and second trimester
volume percentage (%)
Time frame: at two time points: on the 8th-10th and 22nd-24th weeks of pregnancy
Change of Mean corpuscular volume (MCV) in first and second trimester
mean volume of red blood cells in SI units (fL)
Time frame: at two time points: on the 8th-10th and 22nd-24th weeks of pregnancy
Change of Mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) in first and second trimester
Average hemoglobin concentration in a given volume of packed RBCs i SI units (g/L)
Time frame: at two time points: on the 8th-10th and 22nd-24th weeks of pregnancy
Change of Mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) in first and second trimester
average weight of hemoglobin in an average red blood cell in SI units (pg)
Time frame: at two time points: on the 8th-10th and 22nd-24th weeks of pregnancy
Change of Iron (Fe) in first and second trimester
non-heme iron in serum in SI units (µmol/L)
Time frame: at two time points: on the 8th-10th and 22nd-24th weeks of pregnancy
Change of Haptoglobin in first and second trimester
concentration of free haptoglobin in serum in SI units (g/L)
Time frame: at two time points: on the 8th-10th and 22nd-24th weeks of pregnancy
Change of Ferritin in first and second trimester
serum ferritin in SI units (µg/L)
Time frame: at two time points: on the 8th-10th and 22nd-24th weeks of pregnancy
Change of Total Iron Binding Capacity (TIBC) in first and second trimester
total iron binding capacity in SI units (µmol/L)
Time frame: at two time points: on the 8th-10th and 22nd-24th weeks of pregnancy
Change of Unsaturated Iron Binding Capacity (UIBC) in first and second trimester
unsaturated iron binding capacity in SI units (µmol/L)
Time frame: at two time points: on the 8th-10th and 22nd-24th weeks of pregnancy
Change of White Blood Cells (WBC) in first and second trimester
RBC count measured in SI units (Nx10\*9/L)
Time frame: at two time points: on the 8th-10th and 22nd-24th weeks of pregnancy
Change of Platelet Count in first and second trimester
RBC count measured in SI units (Nx10\*9/L)
Time frame: at two time points: on the 8th-10th and 22nd-24th weeks of pregnancy
Change of Transferrin in first and second trimester
transferrin serum concentration in SI units (g/L)
Time frame: at two time points: on the 8th-10th and 22nd-24th weeks of pregnancy
Change of Neutrophils in first and second trimester
proportion of neutrophils of all white cells (%)
Time frame: at two time points: on the 8th-10th and 22nd-24th weeks of pregnancy
Change of Lymphocytes in first and second trimester
proportion of lymphocytes of all white cells (%)
Time frame: at two time points: on the 8th-10th and 22nd-24th weeks of pregnancy
Change of Monocytes in first and second trimester
proportion of monocytes of all white cells (%)
Time frame: at two time points: on the 8th-10th and 22nd-24th weeks of pregnancy
Change of Eosinophils in first and second trimester
proportion of eosinophils of all white cells (%)
Time frame: at two time points: on the 8th-10th and 22nd-24th weeks of pregnancy
Change of Basophils in first and second trimester
proportion of basophils of all white cells (%)
Time frame: at two time points: on the 8th-10th and 22nd-24th weeks of pregnancy
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