New research published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology found that mothers who are anaemic in early pregnancy face a higher likelihood of giving birth to a child with a heart defect.
The study assessed the health records of 2,776 women with a child diagnosed with congenital heart disease who were matched to 13,880 women whose children did not have this condition.
Investigators found that 4.4% of children with congenital heart disease and 2.8% of children with normal heart function had anaemia. After adjusting for potential influencing factors, the odds of giving birth to a child with congenital heart disease was 47% higher among anaemic mothers.
