Concentration Of Vitamin C Vitamin E And Iron In Apparently Healthy Pregnant Women And The Cord Blood At Paturation

The effects of maternal age, parity and Hb concentration on the antioxidant vitamins (Vitamins E and C) and Iron nutriture of 50 women of reproductive age (control) and 60 Nigerian parturient mothers and the cord levels were assessed. The mean serum Vitamin C and E concentrations for 50 non pregenant Nigerian women was 0.96±0.lOmg/dl and 1.65±0.07mg/dl, respectively. Apparently, age and parity had no effect (P>0.05) on the antioxidant status of the women. Age correlated positively with parity (r=0.7l) but inversely (r=- 0.85) (P<0.05) with the serum Vitamin C concentrations. Haemoglobin was positively associated (P<0.05) with PCV (r=0.72^ and serum Vitamin C concentration (r=0.31) for these subjects while PCV correlated with both Vitamin C (r«0.30) and Vitamin E (r=0.39) concentrations for the subjects. The mean maternal serum Vitamin C, Vitamin E and Iron concentration of the parturient mothers studied were 0 . 58 + 0 . llmg/dl, 1. 55±0 . 08mg/dl and 114 . 3±59 . 90/ug/dl, respectively. The corresponding fetal values were 0.77±0.20mg/dl, 0 . 27±0 .19mg/dl and 167 . 9±62 . 20/ug/dl, respectively. Parturient mothers aged 20-24 years had significantly lower maternal Hb, PCV and serum Vitamin E (P<0.C5) compared to other age groups. Anaemic parturient mothers (Hb<10.Og/dl) also had significantly lower (P<0.05), PCV, Vitamin C and Iron compared to non-anaemic subjects (Hb>ll.Og/dl) Parity had no apparent effect (P>0.05) on either the maternal or fetal antioxidant status. Maternal Hb was positively associated (P<0.05) with (PCV) (r=0.89), Maternal serum Vitamin C (r=0.330) and Iron (r=0.45), while maternal PCV correlated (P<0.05) with maternal Vitamin C (r=0.30) and Vitamin E (r-0.397) . Fetal Hb, on the contrary, was not associated with either Fetal Vitamin C (r=0.10) or Vitamin E (r=0.035) levels but was associated with fetal Iron. Data from the present study suggests that there are no metabolic relationships (P>0.05) between antioxidant Vitamin E and C concentration in non pregnant Nigerian women or between maternal and cord values in parturient women

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