THROMBOCYTOPENIA IN NEONATES: INCIDENCE, PRESENTATION, AND STUDY OF CORRELATED FACTORS AT A LAHORE TEACHING HOSPITAL

Background: Patients with thrombocytopenia have been observed to experience changes in their coagulation profile and severity of disease. This study aims to see the incidence, presentation, and correlating factors of thrombocytopenia in newborns. Methods: From Jan 2023 to Jan 2024, 200 newborns in the Paediatric and Pathology Departments of Chaudhry Muhammad Akram Teaching and Research Hospital participated in a cross-sectional study. Utilizing SPSS-23, overall data was analysed. Results: In this study 138 (69%) of the 200 newborns were female, and 62 (31%), were male. Seventy-six (38%) neonates had thrombocytopenia, whereas 124 (62%), neonates had normal platelet counts. Of the 76 newborns, 42 (21%) had mild thrombocytopenia, 25 (12.5%) had moderate thrombocytopenia, and 9 (4.5%) had severe thrombocytopenia. Thirty-five percent early-onset neonatal thrombocytopenia (EOT) had early onset thrombocytopenia, while 46 (23%) had thrombocytopenia in the late onset (LOT) phase. There was a strong correlation discovered between thrombocytopenia and anaemia, jaundice asphyxia, low birth weight, preterm and full-term neonatal birth, and neonatal jaundice. The correlation of bleeding in neonates with thrombocytopenia was significant (p>0.05). Conclusion: Moderate to severe thrombocytopenia in newborns often follows mild thrombocytopenia. Thrombocytopenia is highly correlated with bleeding, preterm birth, full-term birth (extensive monitoring during childbirth), anaemia, hypoxia, and sepsis. In sick newborns, severe thrombocytopenia is considered as a prognostic marker. Pak J Physiol 2024;20(3):37–9, DOI: https://doi.org/10.69656/pjp.v20i3.1703