Effects of Age and Parity Associated with Protein Energy Malnutrition (PEM) on Some Biochemical Parameters of Some Pregnant Women in Enugu Metropolis of Nigeria

This study aims at investigating the effects of age and parity (number of children had by mother) associated with protein energy malnutrition (PEM) on some biochemical indices in pregnant women in Enugu metropolis of Nigeria. Serum total protein, albumin, urea, total cholesterol, creatinine and calcium were evaluated in three groups of female subjects as part of an investigation on the biochemical changes associated with protein energy malnutrition (PEM) in pregnant women. The first group were 52 pregnant women with low total protein (<52g/l), the second group were 50 pregnant women with normal total protein (>52g/l) while the third group were 50 non-pregnant, non-lactating, apparently healthy women with normal total protein (>63kg). All the subjects were resident in Enugu metropolis and aged between 20 to 40 years. The pregnant subjects were in different gestational stages of pregnancy, having different parity and attending the antenatal clinic of Parklane Specialist Hospital, Enugu. The results show that parity (i.e. the number of children had by mother) correlated negatively (p<0.05) with serum total protein, urea, total cholesterol, creatinine and calcium.