Platelet dysfunction in pre-eclamptic mothers

Abstract

Background: Pre-eclampsia (PE) is a pregnancy-specific hypertensive disorder leading to a high proportion of hospital admission, labor induction, maternal as well as fetal morbidity and mortality. However it is fortunate that with timely detection and prompt management, this disease can often be ameliorated and eclampsia can be prevented. Objective: The objective of this study is to find out the changes in total platelet count (TPC), bleeding time (BT), and clotting time (CT) in pre-eclamptic pregnant women as compared with normal pregnant women. Material and Methods: This was a case–control study which included 60 pregnant women of more than 20 weeks of gestation. Out of these, 30 subjects were normotensive and 30 subjects were diagnosed with pre-eclamptic women. Patients having a past history of hypertension, renal diseases, diabetes during non-pregnant state, drug administration altering hematological profile, and autoimmune disorder were excluded from the study. Blood pressure was measured in all the cases and control subjects and three blood tests, i.e., BT, CT, and TPC were performed for each. Results: There was a significant fall in TPC in PE cases as compared with normal (P < 0.01). But there is significant increase in BT and CT (P < 0.01) in PE as compared with normal pregnant women. Conclusion: From this study, it was observed that BT, CT, and TPC can be used as predictive tests not only for disease process, but also for fetal outcome. This can also help us in early diagnosis and treatment of severe PE in which maternal mortality rate is very high.