THE INFLUENCE OF MATERNAL IRON-DEFICIENCY ANEMIA ON THE HEMOGLOBIN CONCENTRATION OF THE INFANT

Serum ferritin, iron, and haemoglobin (Hb) values of 27 pregnant women who did not receive oral iron therapy during pregnancy, and Hb of the ir normal full-term babies were determined. Maternal blood samples wer e obtained at 16 and 34 weeks of pregnancy and infants' blood samples were obtained at the first day and 3 months of life. Mothers were divi ded into two groups according to their serum ferritin values. By analy sing the results we were not able to detect any correlation between ma ternal ferritin, Hb and newborn gestational age, and Hb and birth weig ht. The same was found when the groups were compared by a maternal ser um ferritin above and below 12 ng/ml.