The prevalence of serum magnesium and iron deficiency anaemia among Sudanese women in early pregnancy: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Anaemia during pregnancy is associated with adverse maternal and child health. Investigations of anaemia and its predictors among pregnant women are needed for preventive measures.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate the prevalence and determinants of anaemia in early pregnancy in Khartoum, Sudan. Clinical characteristics were gathered using a questionnaire. Serum ferritin, magnesium and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) were measured using different laboratory methods.

Results: Of the 180 women in the study, 65.0% had anaemia (haemoglobin [Hb] <11 g/dl), 0.6% had severe anaemia (Hb <7 g/dl), 38.9% had iron deficiency (serum ferritin <15 μg/l), 30.6% had iron deficiency anaemia (<11 g/dl and serum ferritin <15 μg/l) and 57.2% had magnesium deficiency (<1.80 mg/dl). There was no significant difference in the age, parity, gestational age, body mass index (BMI) and hs-CRP between anaemic and non-anaemic pregnant women. Anaemic pregnant women had significantly lower levels of serum ferritin and serum magnesium. While age, parity, gestational age, BMI and hs-CRP were not associated with anaemia, low serum ferritin (odds ratio [OR] 0.97 [95% confidence interval {CI} 0.96 to 0.99]) and low serum magnesium (OR 0.91 [95% CI 0.84 to 0.99]) were associated with anaemia. There were significant positive correlations between Hb and serum ferritin (r=0.382, p<0.001) and serum magnesium (r=0.192, p=0.010).

Conclusion: The role of magnesium as a possible contributing factor to anaemia in pregnancy has important implications for prevention and treatment of these women.