Assessment of the Association between Platelets and some Coagulation proteins among Pregnant women attending Antenatal care in a tertiary hospital in Aba, Nigeria.

Abstract

Background

Successful pregnancy occurs as a result of regulated interactions between platelets and coagulation proteins. This study investigated the relationship in the interactions between platelets and coagulation proteins in apparently healthy maternal subjects.

Methodology

The study was conducted at Abia State University Teaching Hospital, Aba, Abia State. Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Medical Laboratory Science, Abia State University, Uturu as well as informed consent of the participants. A total of 100 healthy subjects, stratified into two groups: 60 pregnant women and 40 non-pregnant women which served as controls were recruited for the study. The participants were between 20 and 45 years. The parameters studied were Activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), Platelet (PLT) count and Antithrombin III (ATIII) and were measured by the appropriate methods. Data generated were analysed using student’s t-test, ANOVA and Pearson’s Correlation. The level of significance was set at p <0.05.

Results

Mean±SD 2936.02±1315.922 ng/ml for AT III for pregnant women were higher and statistically significant when compared with 1879.95±670.381 ng/ml for the control (p<0.05). Mean±SD 29.90±2.26 secs and 169.97±49.8 ×10⁹/L for aPTT and PLT count for Pregnant women were significantly lower in comparison to 37.24±3.48 secs and 251.97±37.39 ×10⁹/L for aPTT and PLT count respectively for the control (p<0.05). Mean ± SD 29.54± 3.67 secs for aPTT in 3^rd trimester was shortened and statistically significant in comparison with  37.9± 3.87 secs and 32.25 ± 4.26 secs for 1^st and 2^nd trimesters respectively (p<0.05). Mean ± SD 120.29 ± 29.42 ×10⁹/L for PLT count in 3^rd trimester was significantly lower in comparison with  222.1 ± 34.23  ×10⁹/L and  182.42 ± 21.6 ×10⁹/L for 1^st and 2^nd trimesters respectively (p<0.05). Mean ± SD 2009.13±825.95ng/ml for AT III for pregnant women aged, 31-35 years were lower and statistically significant when compared to 3758.82± 1275.43 ng/ml and 3150.21± 1251.45 ng/ml for pregnant women aged 26-30 years and 20-25 years respectively  (p<0.05). A strong positive correlation existed between aPTT and AT III (r = 0.87, p= 0.0037) for the pregnant subjects. No correlation existed between PLT count and ATIII (r = 0.23, p = 0.16) and between PLT count and aPTT (r = 0.06, p = 0.73).

Conclusion

The finding of this study showed that the interactions between platelets and the coagulation proteins may not result in clinical coagulopathy.