Some haematological parameters among pregnant women of African descent attending antenatal clinic in Sokoto North Western Nigeria

Pregnancy is the fertilization and development of one or more offspring, known as an embryo or foetus in a woman's uterus. Pregnancy is a critical stage of development during which maternal nutrition can strongly influence obstetric and neonatal outcomes. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of pregnancy on the full blood count parameters of pregnant women of African descent residing in Sokoto, North Western Nigeria. This case-control study investigated 74 pregnant subjects and 22 non-pregnant controls. The mean age and income of the subjects were 28.00 ± 8.295 and 2760.42 ± 7975.178 respectively. Haematological parameters were determined using a fully automated 5-part differential haematology analyzer (Model Mythic 22-CT, Orpheee, Switzerland). Results obtained of pregnant subjects were compared with that of non-pregnant controls. The prevalence of anaemia (Hb < 11 g/dl) and thrombocytopenia (Platelet count < 140 × 109/L) was 58.11% and 6.75% respectively among the pregnant subjects. The mean haemoglobin, PCV, platelet and red cell count were significantly lower among the pregnant subjects (10.7 ± 0.13 g/dl and 31.4 ± 0.38%, 252.7 ± 14.35 × 109/L and 3.7 ± 0.04) compared to the non-pregnant controls (12.2 ± 0.44 g/dl, 36.2 ± 1.17 %, 362.7 ± 36.51 × 109/L and 4.3 ± 0.11) (p= 0.004, 0.001, 0.009 and 0.000) respectively. There were no significant differences in the total white blood cell count between the pregnant subjects (5.3 ± 0.22) and non-pregnant controls (4.6 ± 0.59) (p= 0.267). The Neutrophils count was significantly higher among the pregnant subjects (42.6 ± 3.06) compared to the non-pregnant controls (20.0 ± 2.33) (p= 0.000). This study has shown that pregnancy has a significant effect on some haematological parameters of women of African descent. The results of this research work indicates the need to routinely monitor the full blood count, anaemia and thrombocytopenia among pregnant women of African descent.