Physiological anemia versus pathological anemia in pregnancy

Introduction: Some of the physiological changes of pregnancy may imply a risk of suffering different kind of disorders, among them anemia, which is highly associated with maternal-fetal mortality. The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 42% of pregnant women suffer from anemia at some point of pregnancy. The most frequent types of anemia are iron deficiency, megaloblastic and sickle cell anemia. Iron deficiency anemia has the highest incidence during pregnancy. Objective: To update existing information in the international scientific literature about physiological and pathological anemia in pregnancy, emphasing on diagnosis and treatment. Methods: An exhaustive search of the literature was performed using MeSH Anemia, Pregnancy, Iron Deficiency, Vitamin B12, Folic acid and physiology in English and Spanish. For the search, PubMed, Medline, SciELO and Google Scholar databases were used. Results: More than 18321 articles were found. Forty of them met the inclusion criteria to be selected. Conclusions: Although considerable number of cases of gestational anemia correspond to physiological dilutional anemia with no clinical repercussions, the recognition of pathological conditions is fundamental due to the association they have with adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes.