Hematological profile of pregnant women at St. Paul‟s Hospital Millennium Medical College, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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Date
2015-06
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Background:In Pregnancy, the hematological system undergoes changes in order to meet the
demands of the developing fetus and placenta, with major alterations in blood volume.
Hemodilution during pregnancy contribute to majority of these changes.Although physiological
Therefore, the pregnant women screening should include hematological parameters other than
Hb determination alone to avoid adverse outcomes.
Key
words:
Pregnant
women,Hematologicalprofile,anemia, thrombocytopenia
in nature, but abnormal hematological profile affect pregnancy and its outcome. Anemia is
the most common hematological problem in pregnancy, followed by thrombocytopenia.
Objective:To
assess
hematological
profiles
of
pregnant
women
at
St.
Paul‟s
Hospital
Millennium
Medical
College.
Method:A cross sectional study was conducted on 284 pregnant women to assess hematological
profiles of pregnant women at St.
Paul‟s
Hospital Millennium
Medical
College from June to
August 2014. A pre-tested Structured and interviewer administered questionnaire was used to
collect socio demographic data and venous blood was used to perform CBC and peripheral blood
film. CBC was done using automated hematological analyzer Cell Dyn 1800. Data was analyzed
using SPSS version 16.0statistical software. Dependent variable frequencies, mean, standard
deviation and range were calculated. P values <0.05 was considered as statistically significant.
Result: The prevalence rates of anemia and thrombocytopenia were 11.62% and 7.7 %,
respectively and were dominantly of mild type. The anemic pregnant women had microcytic
hypochromic (51.5 %), normocytic hypochromic (27.3%), normocytic normochromic (18.2%),
and dimorphic (3%). Gestational age (trimester), second and third trimesters compared to those
in first trimester and those whodid not take iron folic/acid supplementation compared to those
taking supplementation, were more likely to be anemic. The prevalence of thrombocytopenia
was 4.2%, 6.1% and 9.4% at first, second and third trimester pregnant women, respectively.
Conclusion:The prevalence of anemia and thrombocytopenia was 11.62% and 7.7 %,
respectively and were dominantly of mild type. The commonest type of anemia was microcytic-
hypochromic and normocytic- hypochromic, which are mostly characteristic features of iron
deficiency anemia. Thrombocytopenia where higher in pregnant women at third trimester.
Description
Keywords
Pregnant women; Hematological profile; Anemia; Thrombocytopenia