Government Unani and Ayurvedic Degree College and Hospital

Background: Latent iron deficiency (LID), defined as iron depletion without anemia, frequently precedes iron deficiency anemia in pregnancy and is associated with adverse maternal and fetal outcomes. Serum ferritin is the gold standard for assessing iron stores but is often unavailable in low-resource settings. Readily obtainable red cell indices may serve as practical alternatives for identifying early iron deficiency. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between red cell indices and serum ferritin levels among pregnant women with latent iron deficiency. Methods: This cross-sectional analytical study was conducted at Sir Salimullah Medical College Mitford Hospital, Dhaka, including 205 non-anemic pregnant women in their second trimester. Complete blood count and serum ferritin were assessed using automated analyzers. Participants were categorized as latent iron-deficient (ferritin <30 µg/L) or non-deficient (≥30 µg/l). Group differences were compared using independent t-tests, and correlations between red cell indices and ferritin levels were analyzed using Pearson’s test. Results: Mean MCV and MCH were lower in the latent iron-deficient group, though not significantly (p>0.05). RDW-CV% was significantly higher in LID women (15.3±1.6 vs 14.1±1.6, p<0.001). A significant negative correlation was observed between RDW-CV% and serum ferritin (r = -0.347, p<0.001). Conclusions: RDW-CV% demonstrates a strong negative correlation with serum ferritin and may be used as a sensitive hematologic marker for early detection of latent iron deficiency in pregnancy. Integrating RDW interpretation into routine antenatal blood count assessments can improve screening and management of iron deficiency in resource-limited settings.

BackgroundCOVID‐19 vaccination acceptance is important, and combating hesitancy which is generally based on the individuals’ beliefs and perceptions is essential in the present pandemic. This study assesses COVID‐19 vaccine hesitancy and associated factors, beliefs and barriers associated with COVID-19 vaccination.MethodsA cross-sectional study was carried out among 492 Bangladeshi residents (76% male; mean age = 24.21 ± 4.91 years; age range = 18–50 years) prior to the nationwide mass COVID-19 vaccination campaign (September 28, 2021). A semi-structured e-questionnaire included three sections (demographic variables, beliefs around the vaccination, and perceived barriers regarding COVID-19 vaccination).ResultsMore than a quarter of participants (26.42%) were hesitant, 70.33% reported to accept the vaccine, and 3.25% refused to be vaccinated. While (54%) believed that mass vaccination would be the most effective method to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, concerns regarding the side effects of the vaccine (58%), inadequate vaccine trials before human administration (43%), commercial profiteering (42%), and mistrust of the benefits of the vaccine (20%) were also reported. In addition, other barriers including a short supply of vaccines, unknown future adverse effects (55%), low confidence in the health system (51%), doubts regarding its effectiveness (50%) and safety (45%), and insufficient information regarding potential adverse effects (44.7%) were reported. In bivariate analysis, variables such as current political affiliation, previous vaccination history, and health status were significantly associated with the COVID-19 vaccine uptake variable (acceptance, hesitancy, refusal). Regression analysis showed that participants who identified with the opposing current political parties, and not having been vaccinated since the age of 18 years were significantly more likely to report vaccine hesitancy.ConclusionsThe current findings relating to COVID-19 vaccination demonstrate that government and policy makers need to take all necessary measures to ensure the effectiveness of the vaccination program among the Bangladeshi people.