Assessment of D-dimer levels in pregnant women diagnosed with COVID-19: A case-control study

Abstract

Objective We aimed to evaluate D-dimer levels in pregnant women diagnosed with COVID-19. Methods This single-center study was carried out in a tertiary center hospital serving as a pandemic hospital. 151 pregnant women with COVID-19 diagnosis were included as the study group, and 70 healthy pregnant women as the control group. The data were analyzed separately in 3 different trimesters of pregnancy. Results Of the 221 pregnant women included in the study, 151 had a diagnosis of COVID-19. 70 healthy pregnant women were taken as the control group. It was observed that D-dimer values in pregnancy increased as the trimesters progressed. No significant difference was observed when this was compared with pregnant women with COVID-19 (p = .428, .75, .927 according to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd trimesters, respectively). Conclusion The diagnosis of pulmonary embolism is difficult due to the lack of reliable alternative D-dimer thresholds for pregnant patients. On the other hand, D-dimer elevation continues to be a sign of poor prognosis in patients with COVID-19. The situation remains uncertain in patients who are pregnant and have COVID-19. Maybe D-dimer value should be removed from being a poor prognosis criterion in pregnant women.