According to WHO criteria, anaemia in pregnancy is diagnosed when the haemoglobin concentration falls below:

• A 9.0 g/dL
• B 10.0 g/dL
• C 11.0 g/dL ✓
• D 12.0 g/dL

Explanation

WHO defines anaemia in pregnancy as haemoglobin below 11.0 g/dL, a higher cutoff than in non-pregnant women (12 g/dL) because of the physiological haemodilution of pregnancy. Severity grading follows from this cutoff: moderate anaemia is 7 to 10 g/dL, severe is below 7 g/dL, and very severe is below 4 g/dL. The 12 g/dL value applies to non-pregnant adult women and is the distractor that traps candidates who forget the pregnancy adjustment.

Reference: Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, 27th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

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