Thrombocytopenia Among Pregnant Women in Southwest Ethiopia: Burden, Severity, and Predictors

Abstract

Background

Thrombocytopenia is a worldwide public health problem in pregnant women and is associated with significant maternal–fetal complications and mortality. Determination of burden, severity, and predictors of thrombocytopenia in pregnant women is imperative to develop intervention measures to mitigate their risk and public health impact, which is not well known in Ethiopia, particularly in the selected study area. Thus, this study aimed to determine the burden, severity, and predictors of thrombocytopenia among pregnant women in Wolkite University Specialized Hospital, southwest Ethiopia.

Materials and Methods

A cross-sectional study was employed among 422 pregnant women from May to August 2021. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data on socio-demographic, reproductive, and related characteristics. Venous blood samples were collected and platelet counts were determined by Sysmex XP-300 hematology analyzer. A binary logistic regression analysis was performed using SPSS version 22 software to identify independent predictors of thrombocytopenia. The p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results

The overall burden of thrombocytopenia among pregnant women was 14.5% (95% CI: 11.4–17.8). Among them, 77%, 16.4%, and 6.6% had mild, moderate, and severe thrombocytopenia, respectively. Rural residence (AOR: 2.9, 95% CI: 1.5–5.8), increasing age (AOR: 1.9, 95% CI: 1.04–3.44), alcohol consumption (AOR: 2.48, 95% CI: 1.3–4.5), and HIV infection (AOR: 8.5, 95% CI: 1.9–18.4) were independent predictors of thrombocytopenia among the pregnant women.

Conclusion

A high burden of thrombocytopenia (14.5%) was observed among the pregnant women in this study area. Rural residence, increasing age, consumption of alcohol, and HIV infection were identified as independent predictors of thrombocytopenia. The findings of this study should be taken into consideration to conduct appropriate intervention measures on identified predictors and implement routine screening of platelet count, thrombocytopenia diagnosis, and treatments to reduce the burden of morbidity and mortality among pregnant women.

Keywords:

• pregnant women
• thrombocytopenia
• predictors
• Wolkite
• Ethiopia

Data Sharing Statement

The original data for this study are available from the corresponding author on a reasonable request.

Ethical Consideration

Ethical clearance was obtained from Wolkite University Ethical Review Committee. Permission was obtained from hospital administration before commencing the study. Written informed consent was obtained from each study participant after describing the objective and procedures of the study. Every response of the participants was kept confidential and their result was also communicated to their respective physician for proper management and further investigation. The study was carried out in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.

Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge our study participants for their willingness to provide all relevant information. We are grateful to the Wolkite University Specialized Hospital staff and data collectors for their support during the data collection.

Author Contributions

All authors made substantial contributions to the conception and study design, data collection, or analysis and interpretation of data; took part in drafting the manuscript and revising it critically for important intellectual content; agreed to submit it to the current journal; gave final approval of the version to be published; and agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Disclosure

The authors declared that they have no competing interests in this work.

Additional information

Funding

No funding was received for this study.