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Haematological variables of healthy pregnant women in Sokoto, North-western Nigeria

Context: Pregnancy exerts changes on the haematological system with consequences on interpretation of laboratory results and subsequent diagnosis or intervention. Furthermore, significant variations in haematological variables are known to occur between populations reflecting interplay between genetics and environment. Aim: To determine the values of haematological variables for normal pregnancy in Sokoto. Settings and Design: A descriptive cross-sectional study conducted over a 6-week period at antenatal clinics of Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH), Sokoto, North-western Nigeria. Subjects and Methods: Apparently healthy pregnant women who presented at the antenatal clinics of UDUTH, Sokoto for booking were recruited and had automated full blood count conducted on their blood sample. Statistical Analysis Used: Data were entered into Statistical Package for Social Sciences software version 17 for descriptive analysis while analysis of variance was employed to compare haematological variables among the trimesters of pregnancy. Level of statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. Results: A total of 404 pregnant women were recruited and had mean haematocrit, white blood cell (WBC) counts and platelet counts of 33.00 ± 3.62%, 7.78 ± 2.21 × 109/l and 242.51 ± 63.18 × 109/l, respectively. No statistically significant differences were found across the three trimesters of pregnancy in respect of haematocrit, WBC counts and platelet counts (P > 0.05). Conclusion: This study has provided the values for haematological variables during normal pregnancy, which could serve as reference values for Sokoto and possibly other parts of North-western Nigeria.