Abstract
Background: Though hematological changes occur in pregnancy, changes in platelet indices have not been widely studied, and we do not have reference ranges for use in pregnancy. Objective: To assess effect of pregnancy on platelet indices and establish reference values for these parameters in pregnancy. Methodology: A prospective descriptive study involving 161 consenting healthy HIV seronegative women: 80 pregnant and 81 nonpregnant. Information on their sociodemographic characteristics, obstetric, and past medical histories were obtained. Full blood count was determined by Mindray BC3200-automated hematological analyzer, and their platelet count (PLT), mean platelet volume, plateletcrit, and platelet distribution width (PDW) were retrieved. Data were analyzed using Epi Info version 3.5.1. Results: Platelet count that is most commonly used in clinical practice has a mean (±SD) value of 217.32 × 109 (± 64,990) cells/L in nonpregnant women and 205.48 × 109 (±57,226) cells/L in pregnant women. Only PDW showed statistically significant increase across the three trimesters as pregnancy advances (p = 0.02). The population reference ranges for PLT was 85.74–348.90 × 109 cells/L in nonpregnant women and 90.31–320.65 × 109 cells/L in pregnant women. Conclusion: Platelet indices are affected by pregnancy, and there is a need to redefine thrombocytopenia in pregnancy in our setting in order to minimize the risk of unnecessary interventions or denial of necessary treatment.
Published Version
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