Hematological Characteristics During the Third Trimester of Pregnancy in a Population of Low and High Socio-Economic Levels in Lubumbashi

Abstract

Background: During pregnancy, many hematologic changes occur to meet the demands of the developing fetus. The objective of this study was to describe the hematological characteristics in the third trimester in a population of low and high socioeconomic levels in Lubumbashi, in relation to the WHO and China reference values. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional observational study was carried out in Lubumbashi, among pregnant women received during the third trimester antenatal consultations in apparent good health. A total of 128 pregnant women with a monofetal pregnancy of at least 27 weeks of amenorrhea in apparent good health were selected and divided into two groups of low and high socioeconomic levels. Blood was drawn and analyzed on the CYANHEMATO machine. Results: Hemoglobin (HB) averages were 9.63 ± 1.52 and 11.19 ± 1.07 g / dl respectively in the low and high socioeconomic levels population. The majority of patients in the two populations were in the reference range for red blood cell (RBC) count from 2.75 to 4.64 1012 / l. The average values of hematocrit (HCT), mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) in Lubumbashi were lower than in the China population : 28.39 ± 4.21 versus 32.47 ± 3.46% ; 67.34 ± 9.50 versus 74.38 ± 8.15 fl and 22.96 ± 3.56 versus 25.71 ± 3.23 pg for reference values of 36% ; 90.8 fl and 30.5 pg, respectively. As for the red blood cell distribution width (RDW), it was higher in the low socio-economic level population (16.86 ± 3.40%) than in the high socio-economic level population (14.90 ± 2.25%) with a difference highly significant (p <0.0001). Conclusion: The RBC and RDW were significantly increased in Lubumbashi, while HB. HCT, MCV and MCH were decreased. The mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) did not present any particularity