Mean platelet volume/count and mortality in extremely low birth weight infants of preeclamptic mothers.

PURPOSE: To compare complete blood count (CBC) parameters in extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants born to mothers with and without preeclampsia and to evaluate whether these parameters could be used to determine the prognosis of infants born to mothers with preeclampsia.

METHOD: Thirty-eight infants of preeclamptic mothers (IPM) and 77 infants of non-preeclamptic mothers (INPM) were included in the study. The CBC parameters of ELBW infants were evaluated at the sixth hour of life.

RESULTS: The mean hemoglobin level of the IPM group was higher than the INPM group (16.4±2.4 vs 15.3±2.4; p=0.02). The mean platelet count of the IPM Group was significantly lower than the INPM group (168±65 vs 206±78; p=0.008). Overall and 7th day of life survival of infants were not different between the groups, but there was a correlation between platelet count of the IPM group and mortality in the first 7 days of life and overall mortality (r=-0.38, p=0.023 and r=-0.36, p=0.029). A cut-off point of 0.4 had significant predictive value for mortality (sensitivity of 91%, specificity of 66%).

CONCLUSION: Hemoglobin and platelet counts were statistically different in ELBW infants born to preeclamptic mothers compared with non-preeclamptic mothers. Although the survival was not different between the two groups, platelet count and MPV/platelet count ratio were significantly correlated with overall mortality and mortality in the first 7 days of life in infants of preeclamptic mothers.