**4. Effect on young ones and effect on mother**

Anemia is a serious and most common nutritional disorder, the main population who is suffering from anemia are children under 5 years, mostly in the first 24 months of their age. Worldwide 47.4% of patients suffering from anemia are children. Anemia leads to the impairment of physical growth as well as cognitive and motor growth. The consequences of anemia, even if it is treated in later childhood are irreversible. Hence, it is important to recognize and treat anemia, frequently among the young ones because they are more susceptible to it [30]. Anemia also causes a decrease in the performance of school-going children, work productivity in adulthood, personal satisfaction of a person [12].

#### *Anemia during Pregnancy and Its Prevalence DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.99521*

Anemic children have lower blood concentration than normal and have less motor and cognitive development which affects the output rate of work in adulthood [31]. In developing countries, the frequency of anemia in children of age 5 is 39% and in children from 5 to 9 age the frequency is 48%. The reason for low hemoglobin Hb level in the children are, lack of awareness among the mothers, nutrition and harmful eating habits and other parasitic infections are the factors leading to anemia [32].

In developing countries, anemia is the major cause of maternal death and negative outcomes of pregnancy. There are major nutritional deficiencies (vitamin B12 deficiency, folic acid, or riboflavin deficiency) in developing countries that lead to anemia and other chronic infections, malaria which is a serious parasitic infection, and hemoglobinopathies. Women experience anemia during their maternal periods which increases the risk of low birth weight of the newborn, premature birth of the children, before and after birth mortality of the newborn [33].

Despite the presence of symptoms, patients with Iron deficiency-anemia should be treated as early as possible because they are in danger of organ ischemia, and if not treated further worsening anemia until the fundamental reason for the disease is not revealed and refill the bone marrow with iron [34]. Similarly, children with iron deficiency-anemia alone should be treated because it may lead to sideropenia in children is related to neurocognitive disabilities, affect their learning abilities and capacity, impaired motor function as well. Most frequently, people with anemia may also get Febrile seizures, breath-holding spells, and a restless leg syndrome shown much more in anemic people [22].

During childhood, anemia may be involved in the growth delay of the children such as height, they are more vulnerable to infections, their poor cognitive growth such as mental development and growth from childhood to adulthood, poor motor development which results in low work productivity in the future [35]. Normally 500–800 mg of blood is consumed from a mother during the pregnancy. In premenopausal women mostly have less iron stored or iron deficiency ID in them, they may get anemia or are without anemia, they are mostly belonging to less developed areas of the world. Maternal iron deficiency has a huge complex impact on a child. One report stated that the woman was diagnosed with schistosomiasis when she was pregnant, maternal iron deficiency appears in a child at an age of six months. Iron deficiency in the mother results in the abnormal cognitive development of a child [36]. When severe iron deficiency occurs in the mother, placenta hypertrophy occurs and the risk of the premature birth of the child increases. Maternal iron deficiency also causes low-weight birth of the child and death of the newborn. Sometimes in the first trimester, iron deficiency anemia is related to the low birth weight of the child but the development of anemia later is not involved. Maternal anemia or iron deficiency may occur due to less parental care or eating unhealthy food, which may cause similar effects [37].

The newborn may create paleness because of low iron stores in the body [38]. During pregnancy, anemia can cause serious complications maternal as well as in newborn childlike unexpected labor and post-pregnancy anxiety. Anemic mothers, particularly during the early trimester of pregnancy, can be considered as a danger factor for pregnancy results [23].

Iron deficiency in infants leads to serious and major behavior problems. There are uncertain effects of micronutrient deficiency in the middle of childhood. Vitamin B12 deficiency leads to psychological symptoms such as depression, loss of memory, major nervous problems, and structural changes in some parts of the brain that are important in the development of a child in solving behavioral problems that are basal ganglia, hippocampus, the amygdala. Severe anemic conditions may result in brain damage or nerve damage may occur [39].

Anemia with sickle cell disorder is the most common inherited disease, it results in an increased risk of complications and mortality rate. Sickle cell anemia affects pregnancy and increases maternal and perinatal complexities and early labor pain. The most common sign are pale skin, tiredness, vision changes, hand, and feet swelling, and include some bacterial infections [29]. Maternal anemia directly increases perinatal mortality, low weight of the child at the time of birth, stillbirth, and abortion [40]. In pregnancy, anemia lessens the chances of tolerance to blood loss, which results in heart failure or other abnormal functions of the body [41].
