INTRODUCTION

World Health Organization (WHO) defines anaemia in pregnancy as a hemoglobin concentration below 11g/dL of blood1. Anemia is a medical condition caused by an abnormally low number of red blood cells. Red blood cells, also called erythrocytes, contain haemoglobin, a red, iron-rich protein that carries oxygen in the blood to the body’s tissues. Anaemia in pregnancy can be due to genetic factors, vitamin deficiencies, or infections including malaria and hookworm infestation. People with anaemia develop symptoms caused by the poor delivery of oxygen to their body tissues. These symptoms include pale skin (of the palms, soles, palpebral conjunctivae, tongue and prolonged capillary refill time of the nail bed), shortness of breath, rapid or irregular heartbeat, low vitality, dizziness, easy fatigability and, if left untreated, stroke or heart failure. Clinical assessment of anaemia is unreliable and only true measure is that of the haemoglobin concentration in the blood. The deficiency occurs either through the reduced production or an increased loss of red blood cells. These cells are manufactured in the bone marrow and have a life expectancy of approximately four months. Among other things, the body needs iron, vitamin B12 and folic acid to produce red blood cells.