EARLY PREGNANCY HEMOGLOBIN LEVELS AS PREDICTION OF PREECLAMPSIA

Background:- Although preeclampsia is one of the most serious complications in pregnancy and an accurate prediction of preeclampsia is important for early diagnosis, a definitive screening test for early diagnosis is still elusive. Objectives:- The current study is performed to evaluate the relationship between the maternal hemoglobin level in the first trimester of pregnancy and the incidence of preeclampsia. Patients and Methods: The current study is a cross-sectional study, carried out at Al Noman Hospital in Baghdad; including 160 women who were almost on their 14th week of pregnancy and were attending prenatal clinic of this hospital from January 2015 to March 2016. After measuring their hemoglobin at first visit, the study subjects were monitored for preeclampsia until delivery, and the results of hemoglobin levels were compared between women who developed preeclampsia (80) and the control groups (80). The data was analyzed by using SPSS program version 22 and statistical programs version 9. Results: The current study revealed a significance relation between hemoglobin value during the first trimester of pregnancy and preeclampsia among the study groups. It was found that the mean maternal hemoglobin level were significantly higher in preeclamptic patients 12.6 ± 1.3 g/dL versus non-preeclamptic women 11.5 ± 1.2 g/dL with a P value of <0.001. Conclusions:- The presence of high hemoglobin values in the first trimester of pregnancy can be used to predict preeclampsia and monitoring the pregnant women at risk for preeclampsia.