About 35% of expectant mothers have a high risk of complications of pregnancy due to iron deficiency, according to the Internet publication for girls and women from 14 to 35 years old Pannochka. net Such figures were published by the authors of a new study in the "European Journal of Endocrinology".

Iron deficiency anemia - the most common form of anemia, associated with a lack of iron in the body.

This vital mineral is present in many food products, including meat, beans, nuts, whole grains, dried fruits and t.

According to experts of the World Health Organization, more than 30% of the world's population suffers from anemia. In most cases, it is specifically iron deficiency anemia.

The norms of iron consumption in different countries are not the same. National Institutes of Health of the USA (NIH) recommend that adult men consume at least 8 mg of iron daily, and women - at least 18 mg. During pregnancy, a woman needs at least 27 milligrams of iron every day.

As a result of iron deficiency, the body can not produce a sufficient amount of hemoglobin - a protein of red blood cells, intended for delivery from the lungs to all cells and tissues.

This leads to increased fatigue, weakness, dyspnea, chest pain, tachycardia, pallor.

According to Dr. Kris Poppe, head of the Clinic of Endocrinology at the University Hospital of San Pierre in Brussels, iron deficiency is especially dangerous for pregnant women and their children. A woman needs more iron to meet the needs of a growing fetus and placenta.

Deficiency of iron and thyroid disease.

Along with other functions, iron helps to function thyroid peroxidase (TPO), an enzyme that plays an important role in the production of thyroid hormones.

Pregnant women need enough of this hormone for the development of the child's brain. Especially in the first trimester, when the fetus has not yet developed its own thyroid gland.

Dr. Poppe and his colleagues monitored the condition of 1,900 pregnant women during the first trimester. They periodically repeated tests for ferritin (an indicator of iron level) and antibodies to thyreperoxidase (an indicator of autoimmune processes in the thyroid gland), and also checked the concentration of free thyroxine T4 and thyroid stimulating hormone.

It turned out that 35% of expectant mothers suffer from iron deficiency. Of this number, 10% have an elevated level of antibodies to TPO, indicating an autoimmune lesion of the thyroid gland. Among pregnant women with a normal iron level, this problem is detected only in 6%.

Moreover, about 20% of pregnant women with iron deficiency have signs of subclinical hypothyroidism, as evidenced by a slightly elevated concentration of thyroid-stimulating hormone. Among women who do not experience iron deficiency, only 16%.

These unexpected results suggest that iron deficiency is a much deeper and more serious problem than is commonly believed. The lack of this mineral strikes the endocrine system, exposing pregnant women and their children to the most serious risks.

"For pregnant women, one of the priorities should be a full-fledged diet with adequate iron content. Depending on your area of ??residence, from the first weeks of pregnancy, you can start taking vitamin and mineral supplements, which necessarily include iron, "- calls Dr. Poppe.

In the future, his team intends to determine how iron deficiency and subclinical hypothyroidism affect pregnancy outcomes. It is not excluded that the results of this study will be frightening.

medbe. en.