Some indicators of the erythrocyte component of peripheral blood in pregnant women with congenital malformations of the fetus

Iron deficiency anemia and latent iron deficiency are highly prevalent among pregnant women in Russia, adversely affecting women’s reproductive health and the course and outcome of pregnancy. We conducted a comparative assessment of clinical and anamnestic data and selected red blood cell parameters (red blood cell count, hemoglobin, hematocrit, and mean corpuscular volume) in the first trimester of pregnancy in women whose pregnancies resulted in the birth of children with and without congenital malformations. Objective: Objective: To determine the association between clinical and anamnestic data and certain red blood cell parameters (red blood cell count, hemoglobin, hematocrit, MCV) in the first trimester of pregnancy and the risk of developing EPRD. Materials and Methods: The study included 542 pregnant women. In 299 cases, the pregnancies resulted in the birth of children with congenital malformations (the study group). The control group consisted of 243 women who gave birth to healthy children. Data from the medical records of pregnant women living in Novokuznetsk and southern Kuzbass for the period from 2012 to 2024 were analyzed. Results. Women with EPRD were characterized by older age (32 years), a high frequency of childhood infectious diseases, three or more marriages, having previously given birth to children with EPRD, and high parity in pregnancies. In the first trimester of pregnancy, significantly low values were observed for the mean corpuscular volume, red blood cell count, hemoglobin level, and hematocrit. Congenital malformations of the central nervous system were observed in 23.8% of cases, chromosomal malformations of the fetus in 22.1%, and multiple fetal malformations (MFM) in 19.8% of cases. Conclusion: Maternal age, number of marriages, parity of pregnancies, history of infectious diseases in childhood, history of congenital malformations, significant decrease in the number of red blood cells, hemoglobin levels, hematocrit, and mean corpuscular volume of red blood cells in the first trimester of pregnancy are associated with the risk of having children with congenital malformations.