Maternal Anaemia Linked to 27% Higher Stillbirth Risk in India

The Story in Brief

Pregnant women in India with moderate to severe anaemia had a 27% higher risk of stillbirth after 28 weeks, a study published in The Lancet Regional Health Southeast Asia found. Severe anaemia was linked to nearly three times the stillbirth risk, while moderate anaemia raised it 1.2-fold compared with no or mild anaemia.

Researchers analysed 2,14,709 single-foetus pregnancies from the ICMR-Stillbirth Pooled Indian Cohort Consortium. About 1,08,982 women had haemoglobin below 10 grams per decilitre, and 3,595 stillbirths occurred. The authors said prevention and treatment during pregnancy could reduce risk, while genetic and other non-modifiable causes may need different approaches.

The Indian Opinion

The lazy narrative that anaemia is merely a minor nutrition problem misses its possible consequences, while treating every stillbirth as preventable would also overstate the evidence. This study shows a strong association, not proof that anaemia caused each death. Public health efforts should improve testing, treatment and follow-up across pregnancy, while research examines other causes. The useful test is whether better anaemia care lowers stillbirth rates in future Indian cohorts.

Source: thehindu.com

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