Vitamin B6 status of pregnant women attending antenatal clinic in northwestern Ethiopia
Yared Wondmikun
Ethiopian Journal of Health Development 19(1): 63-64
2005
ISSN/ISBN: 1021-6790 Document Number: 261681
Blood serum samples obtained from 131 third trimester pregnant women (mean age, 24.9+or-5.3 years) attending the antenatal clinic of a teaching hospital in Gondar, Ethiopia were analysed for pyridoxal-5-phosphate (PLP) and pyridoxal (PL) levels (indicators of pyridoxine status) using HPLC. None of the women were receiving multivitamins or iron tablets prior to or during pregnancy. The mean PLP and PL values were 16.7+or-1.4 and 0.47+or-0.05 nmol/litre, respectively, suggesting that the serum pyridoxine status of the studied women were low.