Lalitha Venugopal, Priyadharsini Rajendran, Murugaiyan Sathishbabu, Vaithiyanathan Parghavi
Physiology, Indira Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute, Puducherry, IND.
Pharmacology, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry, IND.
Cureus. 2024 Dec 1;16(12):e74933. doi: 10.7759/cureus.74933. eCollection 2024 Dec.
Cognitive development is an essential part of brain development. The cognitive assessment can be evaluated using the reaction time (RT) assessment. When attempting to comprehend cognitive processing and motor responses, RT is a very useful tool. Measuring RTs is an essential component in evaluating cognitive and motor abilities. The purpose of the current study was to assess the cognitive function of anemic pregnant South Indian women in the early and late trimesters of their pregnancy.
The present analytical cross-sectional study was conducted on 120 pregnant women in early and late pregnancy. A convenient sampling method was used. An RT machine assessed visual reaction time (VRT) and auditory reaction time (ART) in the subjects. All the data was tested for normality using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Data analysis was done using a two-tailed unpaired Student's t-test.
The distinction between pregnant women without anemia and those with anemia in terms of their VRT for red light (VRT-R) and green light (VRT-G) was highly significant with a p-value < 0.0001 (301± 8.16 Vs 324 ± 10.28 milliseconds). The differences in the ART for low-frequency sound (ART-low) and high-frequency sound (ART-high) were highly significant (214 ± 4.26 Vs 238 ± 5.38, 201 ± 2.08 Vs 222 ± 8.46 milliseconds). Pregnant women with anemia have significantly longer RTs compared to normal pregnant women in the early and late trimesters. There were significant differences in RTs between early and late trimesters in pregnant women with anemia, particularly for VRT-G (p< 0.0442) and ARTs (p< 0.0001 for ART-Low, p < 0.0416 for ART-High). The RTs improved slightly from the early to late trimester in pregnant women without anemia (VRT-R: p<0.002; VRT-G: p<0.0001; ART-low and high: p<0.0001).
Our study found a significant relationship between anemia in pregnancy and altered RTs. Anemia in pregnancy is associated with impaired cognitive function. Hence, pregnant women with anemia at different gestational ages are more prone to cognitive dysfunction than normal pregnant women. This highlights the importance of monitoring and managing anemia during pregnancy to mitigate its impact on cognitive functions.
认知发展是大脑发育的重要组成部分。认知评估可通过反应时间（RT）评估来进行。在试图理解认知过程和运动反应时，RT是一个非常有用的工具。测量RT是评估认知和运动能力的重要组成部分。本研究的目的是评估南印度贫血孕妇在妊娠早期和晚期的认知功能。
本分析性横断面研究对120名妊娠早期和晚期的孕妇进行。采用方便抽样法。使用RT机器评估受试者的视觉反应时间（VRT）和听觉反应时间（ART）。所有数据均使用Kolmogorov-Smirnov检验进行正态性检验。数据分析采用双尾不成对学生t检验。
无贫血孕妇与贫血孕妇在红光（VRT-R）和绿光（VRT-G）的VRT方面差异极显著，p值<0.0001（301±8.16对324±10.28毫秒）。低频声音（ART-low）和高频声音（ART-high）的ART差异极显著（214±4.26对238±5.38，201±2.08对222±8.46毫秒）。与正常孕妇相比，贫血孕妇在妊娠早期和晚期的RT明显更长。贫血孕妇在妊娠早期和晚期的RT存在显著差异，尤其是VRT-G（p<0.0442）和ARTs（ART-Low的p<0.0001，ART-High的p<0.0416）。无贫血孕妇从妊娠早期到晚期的RT略有改善（VRT-R：p<0.002；VRT-G：p<0.0001；ART-low和high：p<0.0001）。
我们的研究发现妊娠贫血与RT改变之间存在显著关系。妊娠贫血与认知功能受损有关。因此，不同孕周的贫血孕妇比正常孕妇更容易出现认知功能障碍。这突出了孕期监测和管理贫血以减轻其对认知功能影响的重要性。
