Ferritin concentration for the assessment of iron status and influence of socio-economic status in pregnancy in sokoto

Background; Anaemia is a major health problem in developing countries like Nigeria. It has been implicated as one of the causes of maternal morbidity and mortality. Serum ferritin is generally considered the best test to assess iron status in pregnancy, although it is an acute phase reactant. Aim of the study: The aim of this study was to determine the serum ferritin and its relationship with socio-economic status in pregnancy. Materials and Methods: Serum Ferritin concentration was estimated by a sandwich Enzyme-Linked immunosorbent Assay.The information’s from the questionnaires were used to group the pregnant women into their different socioeconomic status. Occupation, Educational level and income were the commonly used indicators of socio-economic classes. Results: Low (95.7%) and middle (78.0%) socio-economic class were observed to have anaemia (serum ferritin < 15µg/L) compared to high socio-economic class (35.9%). The difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The index study shows that, anaemia was significantly associated with socio-economic status (p< 0.001). Also, it could be recommended that, serum ferritin should be included in the routine antenatal investigation for the assessment of iron status, as it reflects the true iron store. This will help in making early diagnosis to prevent the complications of iron deficiencyanaemia.