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Dietary and socioeconomic factors unrelated to iron stores of women of reproductive age in rural Bangladesh
Author(s) -
Merrill Rebecca Day,
Shamim Abu Ahmed,
Schulze Kerry,
Christian Parul,
Labrique Alain,
Rashid Mahbubur,
West Keith P
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.21.6.lb55
Subject(s) - socioeconomic status , environmental health , iron status , demography , iron deficiency , medicine , population , anemia , sociology
While iron deficiency anemia is common among women of reproductive age and the focus of public health concern in developing countries, little attention has been paid to the constancy of low, adequate or high iron stores, their relationship to anemia risk and factors that influence the stability of iron stores during pregnancy and lactation. We identified 216 pregnant women in a randomized vitamin A intervention trial in rural Bangladesh whose plasma ferritin concentrations remained within the same tertile throughout pregnancy (1 st and 3 rd trimesters [TM]) and lactation (3 mo postpartum) reflecting long term stability of iron stores. Mean (SD) 1 st TM plasma ferritin (μg/L) by increasing tertile was 36 (15), 88 (17) and 204 (82), respectively, among whom 32%, 17% and 31% were anemic (Hb<110 g/L). Among SES factors, and 7‐day food and morbidity frequency, Hb and arm circumference data collected at each visit, none except Hb concentration in the lowest tertile (r=0.~26), was associated with ferritin status, suggesting that genetic factors and other environmental iron exposures may be responsible for the observed, higher iron stores in this population. Funded by USAID and the Gates Foundation.