Opeyemi O Adesina and Mathias A Emokpae
Low-grade inflammation has been reported in pregnan cy. Previous studies suggested that C-reactive protein (CRP) levels are unaffected by anaemia, but levels may be altered in late pregnancy. It is not completely clear whether such alterations are depen dent on anaemia status. We measured serum high sensitive C-reactive (hs-CRP) levels in pregnant wo men to know whether inflammation is higher in pregnant women with anaemia than non-anaemic pregna nt women. A total of 1200 (400 from each centre) confirmed pregnant women attending antenata l clinics of Olabisi Onabanjo Teaching Hospital, Sagamu, General Hospital Ijebu-Ode and General Hosp ital, Abeokuta were randomly enrolled in the study. The study participants were grouped based on haemoglobin concentrations as mild, moderate and severe anaemia. Packed cell volume, haemoglobin and hs-CRP were assayed using auto-analyzers and reagents supplied by Abbot Diagnostics BV (Wies baden, Germany and Hoofddorp, Netherlands respectively). The means hsCRP (p<0.001) and BMI (p =0.017) in anaemic pregnant women were higher than non-anaemic pregnant women. The means hs-CRP f or mild, moderate and severe anaemic conditions were 4.9±0.19mg/L, 5.0±0.16mg/L and 9.4± 1.81mgLl. The Duncan multiple test shows that the hs-CRP value in severe was significantly higher (p< 0.05) than mild and moderate while the means of mild and moderate anaemic conditions were not signi ficantly different from each other. In conclusion, hs-CRP levels were significantly higher in anaemic pregnant women than non-anaemic pregnant women, the elevation of hs-CRP levels were associat ed with severity of anaemia. Adequate ante-natal management of pregnant women cannot be overemphasiz ed to avoid the complications associated with anaemia and inflammation.
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