Are Lowered Blood Platelets Count an Indicator of Hypertension Among Pregnant Women

Background: Pregnancy-related hypertensive conditions, including gestational hypertension and preeclampsia, are leading causes of morbidity and mortality among mothers and fetuses worldwide. Potential, affordable hematological markers that could help with early detection and monitoring of these disorders include platelet count and platelet indices. Objective: In order to assess their potential as diagnostic and prognostic tools in prenatal care, the purpose of this study was to determine if decreased platelet counts and changed platelet indices are signs of hypertension in pregnant women. Methods: A six-month qualitative study was carried out at a Quetta, Balochistan, tertiary care hospital. Purposive sampling was used to enroll 130 pregnant women in total. Standard blood pressure criteria and clinical observations were used to categorize the participants into normotensive and hypertensive groups. Platelet count, mean platelet volume (MPV), and platelet distribution width (PDW) were measured by whole blood counts. Frequency distribution tables and group comparisons were used to analyze the data. Results: According to the study, pregnant women with hypertension disorders had far lower platelet counts than normotensive women. Of these, 31.5% had mild thrombocytopenia (100,000–150,000 cells/mm³) and 23.1% had severe thrombocytopenia (<100,000 cells/mm³). Furthermore, higher platelet activation and turnover were indicated by the fact that 40.0% of hypertensive participants had increased platelet distribution width (PDW >16%) and 46.2% had elevated mean platelet volume (MPV >11 fL). Particularly in cases of pre-eclampsia and eclampsia, these hematological alterations were associated with the degree of hypertension. Conclusion: Pregnancy hypertension correlates with lower platelet counts, higher indices, aiding early, affordable detection in resource-limited settings.