Achi news desk-
New Delhi20 minutes ago
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Anemia in pregnant women can be cured with one shot of injection. Research on this has been done in Delhi AIIMS in the last 2 years which has been successful.
Doctors gave a single shot of ferric carboxy maltose (FCM) to women suffering from severe anaemia. Anemia in women has been cured with a single shot of iron.
Until now, injections of ferric carboxy maltose (FCM) have been used to overcome iron deficiency in people suffering from cancer and chronic kidney disease.
AIIMS doctors say that whether anemia is severe or normal, FCM injection is more effective and safe for pregnant women.
Keeping this in mind, FCM injection has been included in the Anemia Free India Program in February 2024. Its purpose is to get rid of iron deficiency in pregnant women.
no blood transfusion required
If the hemoglobin count is less than 7g/dl and the pregnancy is 34 weeks, then a blood transfusion is required. If the hemoglobin level is less than 5g/dl, it can lead to the death of a pregnant woman.
Even before anemia becomes severe, the patient must have a blood transfusion. Also, anemia must be removed before labor pain occurs.
Dr Kapil Yadav, Additional Professor of Community Medicine, AIIMS, says FCM injection is a sufficient substitute for blood transfusion.
An injection worth Rs 5,000 for just Rs 300
The FCM injection is not new. In other countries in the world, this injection was used to treat anemia patients. This injection was bought in India from Belgium and Sweden.
An injection would cost Rs 3,000-5,000. Because it is expensive, its use is less. Dr. Kapil says that research regarding this injection has been going on in India since 2013. It was successful and the native molecule of FCM has been prepared.
The cost of one injection is Rs 300, which is much cheaper than the injections prepared abroad. This injection has gone through many tests and can be used to treat pregnant women suffering from anaemia.
No side effects in Desi Iron Injection
Dr Kapil explains that earlier 5-6 injections were given for treating people suffering from severe anaemia. But the risk of its side effects remains high. The biggest danger is an allergic reaction known as ‘anaphylaxis’. This can be fatal.
When anaphylaxis occurs, our body’s immune system releases many types of chemicals that the body cannot tolerate.
Symptoms are swelling in the body, rash, difficulty breathing, difficulty swallowing food or even drinking water.
But desi iron injection has no side effects.
Anemia in more than 50% of pregnant women in India
Anemia is found in pregnant women all over the world. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 40% of pregnant women worldwide suffer from anaemia.
Their number is even more in countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan. In 2019, 50% of pregnant women in India were found to be anemic. According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), 52.2% of Indian pregnant women were anaemic.
Iron deficiency (iron deficiency anemia) is the most prominent cause in 75% of cases of anemia during pregnancy.
Gynecologist Dr Gayatri Tiwari says iron deficiency is more common during pregnancy. The reason for this is that the pregnant woman and the growing baby in her stomach need more iron, which the body cannot provide.
In the second and third trimester, the mother needs more iron because during this period most of the iron goes to the fetus which is growing in the womb.
Severe anemia when the hemoglobin level is below 7.
According to the World Health Organization, if a pregnant women’s hemoglobin level is between 10 and 10.9 g/dL, then she is considered mildly anemic. If the hemoglobin level is between 7.0 and 9.9 then it is considered moderate anaemia. But if a pregnant woman’s hemoglobin level is below 7, then she is considered severely anemic.
Epidemiologist Dr Ravi Mehrotra explains that iron is very important in making red blood cells in our body. Due to a lack of iron, healthy red blood cells will not be formed.
