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Retrospective analysis of platelet numbers and volumes in normal pregnancy and in pre‐eclampsia
Author(s) -
Ahmed Yusuf,
Iddekinge Basil,
Paul Carolyn,
Sullivan Mark H. F.,
Elder Murdoch G.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
bjog: an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.157
H-Index - 164
eISSN - 1471-0528
pISSN - 1470-0328
DOI - 10.1111/j.1471-0528.1993.tb15233.x
Subject(s) - eclampsia , obstetrics , pregnancy , platelet , retrospective cohort study , andrology , medicine , biology , genetics
Objective To determine the distribution of platelet volumes and numbers through pregnancy, and to compare these to changes in platelet volumes and numbers in women with pre‐eclampsia. Subjects Four hundred twenty‐eight women with normal pregnancy from whom four or more platelet measurements were available were identified. 74 women with pre‐eclampsia (blood pressure 140/90 mmHg, at least 0.5g protein/24 h urine collection) from whom platelet measurements were available between 27 and 30 weeks of gestation were identified. Results Mean platelet volume and platelet number remained constant in normal pregnancies between the first trimester and the end of pregnancy. A persistent increase of 0.8 fl ( 90th centile) in mean platelet volume was found in 14 out of 15 pre‐eclamptic patients between 24 weeks and 38 weeks of gestation and in only 13 of 428 normal pregnant individuals. Platelet numbers were decreased by 50 × 10 9 /l (i.e. to less than the 10th centile) in 12 of the 15 patients with pre‐eclampsia. 10% of the normal pregnant population showed a similar decline in platelet numbers showing that changes in platelet numbers may be a less accurate assessment of the development of pre‐eclampsia. Conclusion We suggest that longitudinal determination of platelet volumes may be of use in identifying those women at risk of pre‐eclampsia.