PLATELET INDICES AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN AT INITIATION OF ANTENATAL CARE AT THE RIVERS STATE UNIVERSITY TEACHING HOSPITAL, PORT HARCOURT, NIGERIA.

Aims: Preeclampsia (PE) is a life threatening but preventable complication of pregnancy characterised by proteinuric hypertension with or without oedema. The global disease burden is high and particularly so in the low and middle income countries. It is a significant contributor to maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. The global scourge can be combated by screening and prophylactic measures. Prophylaxis is best initiated in the first trimester of pregnancy. The ideal screening test should be accurate, safe, widely available and most importantly cost effective. Nigeria is a resource-poor country and the ideal screening tests as advocated by FIGO for initiation of prophylaxis in the first trimester of pregnancy are largely not affordable. The platelet indices are economical, widely available and reliable markers for the early prediction of PE. There is a paucity of data on the platelet indices in the 1st trimester of pregnancy in our environment due to the characteristic late antenatal booking. The study aims to show the pattern of platelet indices at initiation of antenatal care in the first trimester of pregnancy up to 16+6 weeks of gestation. Method: A prospective cross sectional study was conducted at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria between January 2024 to January 2025 by recruiting 150 consenting normotensive pregnant women, initiating antenatal care before or at 11-16+6 weeks gestation and screening for their platelet indices. Results: The findings were a platelet count of 226.7 x 109 (214.0 – 235.4); Mean Platelet Volume (MPV) of 10.8 (10.3 – 10.8) and a Platelet Distribution Width (PDW) of 16.0 (15.9 – 16.1). The results were largely consistent with findings from other studies. Conclusion: This study has attempted to derive normal values for platelet indices in the first trimester of pregnancy. The results can be used a basis for preeclampsia screening in our centre. A larger follow up study is advocated to evaluate women who subsequently develop pre-eclampsia and eclampsia.