Iron and Iodine Status in Pregnant Women from A Developing Country and Its Relation to Pregnancy Outcomes

Sehar Iqbal, Petra Rust, Lisbeth Weitensfelder, Inayat Ali, Michael Kundi, Hanns Moshammer and Cem Ekmekcioglu
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Sehar Iqbal: Department of Environmental Health, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Kinderspitalgasse 15, 1090 Vienna, Austria
Petra Rust: Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
Lisbeth Weitensfelder: Department of Environmental Health, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Kinderspitalgasse 15, 1090 Vienna, Austria
Inayat Ali: Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology, University of Vienna, Universitätsstrasse 7, 1010 Vienna, Austria
Michael Kundi: Department of Environmental Health, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Kinderspitalgasse 15, 1090 Vienna, Austria
Hanns Moshammer: Department of Environmental Health, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Kinderspitalgasse 15, 1090 Vienna, Austria
Cem Ekmekcioglu: Department of Environmental Health, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Kinderspitalgasse 15, 1090 Vienna, Austria

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 22, 1-13

Abstract: Birth related complications and comorbidities are highly associated with a poor nutritional status of pregnant women, whereas iron and iodine are among especially important trace elements for healthy maternal and fetal outcomes. The study compares the status of iron, iodine, and related functional parameters in pregnant and non-pregnant women from a developing country and associates the data with pregnancy complications. The concentrations of ferritin, hemoglobin (Hb), total triiodothyronine (TT3), total thyroxine (TT4), and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) were determined in the blood serum of 80 pregnant women at the time of delivery and compared with 40 non-pregnant healthy controls. Spot urine samples were taken to evaluate the urinary iodine concentration (UIC). In pregnant women, ferritin, Hb concentrations, and UIC were significantly lower, and TT4 values were significantly higher compared to controls. Higher Hb levels were tendentially associated with a reduced risk for pregnancy complications (OR = 0.747, CI (95%) 0.556–1.004; p = 0.053). Regarding covariates, only previous miscarriages were marginally associated with pregnancy complications. High consumption of dairy products was associated with lower Hb and ferritin values. Our results suggest that pregnant women from a developing country have lower iron status with Hb levels being possibly associated with pregnancy complications.

Keywords: iron; iodine; Hb; thyroid hormones; pregnancy complications (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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