| Summary: | Pregnant women are an important segment of the society. They bear the children and provide nourishment to them during the period of gestation of nine months. The health of a mother reflects the health of a child. No such study of prevalence of hemoglobinopathy in pregnant women from India is available. The study objectives were: to find the prevalence (genetic burden) of hemoglobin disorders in pregnant women belonging to urban setting; identify the communities at risk, and to determine the hematological profile of native pregnant women of coastal Odisha. A cross-sectional study of pregnant women visiting for antenatal care at two urban hospitals, Bhubaneswar and Berhampur in Coastal Odisha was investigated. A total of 178 pregnant women attending antenatal care check up at two urban hospitals in coastal Odisha were studied. Appropriate statistical tools were used for analysis of data. High prevalence of 13.5% for hemoglobin disorders was observed in urban pregnant women visiting two major hospitals in coastal Odisha. Mild to moderate anemia was recorded. Reduced values of hematological indices in women afflicted with hemoglobin disorders than the normal controls were noted. Major hemoglobinopathies detected were: β-thalassemia trait (5.6%), sickle cell trait (5.6%), hemoglobin E trait (1.1%), sickle cell-E-disease (0.6%), and hemoglobin H disease (0.6%). Mandatory awareness, comprehensive clinical management, and genetic/marriage counseling are highly essential to ameliorate the sufferings of afflicted pregnant women of coastal Odisha.
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