Abstract
The bone marrow status of 31 consecutive pregnant women who had been on supplemental oral iron and folic acid since early pregnancy at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital was assessed later in pregnancy to test the efficacy of oral iron and folic acid in preventing iron deficiency and/or megaloblastic anae mia in our community. Only those pregnant patients with haemoglobin geno type AA or AS took part in the study. Nobody was excluded except those with CC or SC. 96.77% (30 out of 31 patients) had iron deficiency with no stainable iron in the bone marrow. 35.4% (11 out of 31 patients) had megloblastic changes in the bone marrow. 32.2% (10 out of 31 patients) had a combined iron deficiency and megaloblastic anaemia while only one out of 31 patients (3.23%) had megaloblastic anaemia without concurrent iron deficiency. 60.4% (20 out of 31 patients) had iron deficiency alone without concomitant megaloblastic changes in marrow. The bone marrow in all the patients were normal in other respects except with regards to iron-deficiency and/or megaloblastic status.
The significance of this high incidence of iron-deficiency and/or megaloblas tic anaemia in patients already on routine pre-natal drugs is discussed.
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