COVID-19 Related Thrombocytopenia and Hypertension in Pregnant Patients in Erbil, Kurdistan Region

Abstract

The ongoing Sever Acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has raised significant concerns about the potential impact of the virus on pregnant individuals and their fetuses. This study aims to investigate the association between COVID-19 infection, thrombocytopenia, and hypertension in pregnant women patients, as well as to evaluate thrombocytopenia in pregnant women with COVID-19 infection and/or to detect the risk of a low platelet count in the context of hypertension in pregnant women, with a focus on their combined influence on maternal health and pregnancy outcomes. The current study was conducted in both hospital and private gynecologist clinical settings, in collaboration with medical laboratory analyzers, to collect prospective data in Erbil city, Kurdistan region, Iraq.

From 150 blood sample pregnant women, 100 who tested positive for COVID-19 through PCR and 50 control group was collected. Based on the statistical analysis, our results reveal that 15.1% of individuals exhibited both a low platelet count and low blood pressure. Approximately 93.8% showed normal platelet counts with corresponding normal blood pressure levels. Notably, no cases were reported with high blood pressure and thrombocytosis, compelling evidence emerged suggesting a potential causal link between COVID-19 and an elevated risk of pregnancy-related hypertension disorders. Our findings reveal a statistically significant association between COVID-19 infection and an increased risk of hypertension due to thrombocytopenia in pregnancy (p-value less than 0.05).

In conclusion, among mothers infected with COVID-19 an increased incidence of hypertension in pregnant women due to thrombocytopenia has been reported compared to the control group.