Nutritional Dangers During Pregnancy

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Possible Nutrition Issues
Common Nutritional Hazards and Clinical Assessment
The ABCD Nutritional Assessment
Recommended Medications and Patient’s Background
Conclusion
Reference

Introduction

During the pregnancy, women may face specific nutrition issues due to the additional needs of the fetus. Pregnant women should eat well and understand that the need for some elements and vitamins increases significantly, while a deficiency can lead to disorders in the child’s development. This paper aims to provide a clinical assessment for a pregnant woman, emphasizing the potential nutritional dangers and how they can be overcome.

Possible Nutrition Issues

There is a wide spectrum of elements and vitamins that usually become deficient during pregnancy. Pregnant women experience increased demands for thyroid hormone which requires a healthy supply of iodine, with potential risks of miscarriage and neurological impairments in babies. The pregnancy also increases the need for folate known as vitamin B9 which is critical for fetal growth. Then, vitamin D deficiency affects a child’s peak bone mass, B12 deficiency increases the risk of preterm birth, and zinc deficiency is related to low birth weight (Kiely et al., 2021). An insufficient supply of vitamin C leads to problems with placental function, and omega-3 fatty acids are needed for healthy fetal growth.

Common Nutritional Hazards and Clinical Assessment

The demands for iron grow significantly during pregnancy and the deficiencies can put the fetus at risk of premature birth, birth defects, low birth weight, and developmental issues. Iron deficiency leads to anemia in women that causes fatigue, breathing complications, difficulty sleeping, and increases the risk of infection and bleeding (Kiely et al., 2021). Anemia is a widespread medical condition in pregnant women that should be treated through a healthy diet. Iron can be found in lean meat, tomatoes, breakfast cereals, chocolate, lentils, spinach, tofu, cashews, green peas, and skins of potatoes.

The ABCD Nutritional Assessment

The subject of assessment is a 24-year-old woman, 1.7 m tall, her weight is 50 kg. Her BMI is, therefore, 50/1.7=29.4, which is considered underweight. Her arms are 21 cm, her abdomen is 70 cm, and her thigh is 96 cm, which indicates somewhat decreased protein stores. Her skinfold thickness is normal, which indicates sufficient fat stores. The recommended biochemical measurements include the complete blood test that is used to determine anemia, infection, or leukemia. The test showed insufficient levels of red cells, which suggest iron deficiency. The blood glucose levels showed low levels of glucose, suggesting insufficient nutrition. There was also a suspected deficiency in micronutrient levels of B vitamins, and measures proved it to be true, with deficiencies in folic acid and B12. The woman also experiences a deficiency in vitamins C and D.

The patient also showed some alarming clinical signs during the head-to-toe physical assessment. These are low body weight, prominent bones, dry skin on elbows, low blood pressure, and lower than-normal heart rate. The woman also showed reduced handgrip strength and expressed irritability, apathy, and inattention. The patient reported a loss of appetite, insufficient fruit, and vegetable intake, weight stability, feeling insecure about low weight, eating only one portion of a meal a day, experiencing nausea, and delays in the period’s cycle.

Recommended Medications and Patient’s Background

Given the signs of malnutrition and deficiencies in iron, folic acid, and vitamins B12, C, and D, the patient was recommended a healthy diet and the B-group vitamins and iron as supplements. The patient was informed that iron has serious interactions with dimercaprol and levodopa and moderate interactions with antacids, entacapone, and trientine, which can cause harmful effects. The woman is a college graduate, unemployed, successfully treated drug addiction, is white, and lives in a poor neighborhood.

Conclusion

Thus, a clinical assessment was performed, which emphasized the potential nutritional dangers and how they can be overcome. The patient showed signs of malnutrition and deficiency in iron, vitamins B9, B12, C, and D, which is a great danger for the baby. Therefore, the patient was recommended a healthy diet and supplemental intake of iron and group B vitamins. The ABCD assessment proved very effective and handy for clinical purposes.

Reference

Kiely, M. E., McCarthy, E. K., & Hennessy, Á. (2021). Iron, iodine, and vitamin D deficiencies during pregnancy: epidemiology, risk factors and developmental impacts. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 80(3), 290-302.

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