TITLE:
Epidemiology and Associated Factors with Anemia in Premature Newborns at the Issaka Gazoby Maternity Hospital of Niamey (Niger) in 2023
AUTHORS:
Samaila Aboubacar, Garba Moumouni, Georges Thomas Ibrahim, Mamoudou Abdou Djafar, Gagara Mayaou Adama, Mededji Marlix, Moussa Nanaito Nafissatou, Djibrilla Almoustapha Amadou, Kamaye Moumouni, Malam Abdou Bade
KEYWORDS:
Anemia, Premature Newborn, Associated Factors, Niger
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Blood Diseases,
Vol.16 No.1,
March
16,
2026
ABSTRACT: Introduction: Anemia is common in premature newborns. The objective of this study was to examine the epidemiological aspects and associated factors with anemia in premature newborns at the Issaka Gazoby Maternity Hospital of Niamey in 2023. Patients and Methods: This was a case-control study conducted from January to June 2023 at the Issaka Gazoby Maternity Hospital in Niamey. The “cases” were newborns with anemia, and the “controls” were newborns with normal hemoglobin levels. The Odds Ratio and its Confidence Interval were calculated to measure the association. Results: Of the 617 premature newborns admitted during the study period, 158 cases of anemia were found (25.6%). Anemia was severe in 9.5% of newborns. The sex ratio was 1.6. The main clinical signs on admission were pallor (69.4%) and respiratory distress (59.3%). Associated factors related to perinatal characteristics were pregnancy monitoring with more than 4 prenatal consultations (OR = 0.56; CI [0.37 - 0.86]; p = 0.01), malaria prophylaxis (OR = 0.34; CI [0.20 - 0.60]; p Conclusion: Anemia is a major cause of hospitalization in premature newborn. Associated factors included good prenatal care, iron and folic acid supplementation, and malaria prophylaxis, suggesting that these strategies should be reinforced.