Characteristics of iron metabolism markers in pregnant women with pre-pregnancy obesity and anemia: A comparative cross-sectional study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37800/RM.3.2026.594Keywords:
pregnancy, obesity, anemia, hepcidin, ferritin, erythropoietin, iron metabolismAbstract
Relevance: Pre-pregnancy obesity is one of the significant risk factors for the development of anemia. Adipose tissue activity in obesity contributes to pro-inflammatory mediator production and disrupts iron metabolism. This complicates the pathogenesis of anemia and creates serious risks for the health of both mother and fetus.
The study aimed to evaluate the characteristics of serum hepcidin, ferritin, and erythropoietin levels in pregnant women with anemia, pre-pregnancy obesity, and their combination.
Materials and Methods: We conducted a comparative cross-sectional study from 2021 to 2025 at the Regional Clinical Hospital in Karaganda. The study included 167 pregnant women in four groups: controls (n = 43), anemia (n = 40), pre-pregnancy obesity (n = 48), and both anemia and obesity (n = 36). Serum levels of hepcidin, ferritin, and erythropoietin were measured using ELISA. We used the Kruskal-Wallis test and the Mann-Whitney U test for comparisons. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.
Results: Hepcidin levels were significantly higher in pregnant women with obesity and anemia than in the control group (p < 0.05). The highest median hepcidin level was observed in women with both anemia and obesity: 1786.59 (Q1–Q3: 1510.64–1940.43). Ferritin levels differed significantly among the study groups (p = 0.031), with the lowest median value observed in women with pre-pregnancy obesity. Although overall intergroup comparisons showed no statistically significant differences in erythropoietin levels, we found significant differences between the control group and groups of pregnant women with obesity (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: Pregnant women with anemia, pre-pregnancy obesity, and their combination demonstrated differences in hepcidin and ferritin levels. These findings reflect specific alterations in iron metabolism regulation in the studied groups and support further investigation of the clinical significance of these biomarkers.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Ж. Рустембеккызы, Ж.Т. Амирбекова , Ғ. Ақжол , Б.М. Телегенова , А.Д. Увашева
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