Serum Thiamine Level in Pregnant and Non-Pregnant Women in Zaria, Nigeria

Abstract

Scientists have been advocating nutrient supplementation especially for pregnant women. This supplementation has included nutrients like vitamins A, folic acid, iron and recently thiamine to combat the development of congenital anomalies and to achieve a better pregnancy outcome. This study investigated the status of thiamine in pregnant and non-pregnant women. Blood samples was collected from 179 women for the thiamine analysis, 72 pregnant women were assessed for thiamine level in second trimester, 56 for third trimester and 51 non-pregnant women served as control. For thiamine analysis, the result showed a significant decrease (P<0.001) from the control (47.90 ± 25.93) to third trimester (27.09 ± 10.69). There was also significant (P<0.001) difference between control, educated pregnant and non-educated pregnant women in second and third trimester. Mean serum thiamine level decreased significantly (P<0.001) from those in tertiary level of education (61.17 ± 41.89) to those who are not educated (27.72 ± 12.72) and also between control and pregnant women according to age groups (P<0.001). In general there was a significant decrease in serum thiamine level in the pregnant women which is similar compared with other studies. Significant difference was observed in serum thiamine between educated and non-educated women. Overall there is a need for thiamine supplementation in pregnant women whether educated or not.