Platelet indices in preeclampsia: comparative analysis with normotensive pregnant women.

Background: To compare plateletcount (PC), mean platelet volume (MPV), and platelet distribution width (PDW)between women with preeclampsia (PE) and normotensive pregnant women, andevaluate their effectiveness as predictors of PE.

Research Design Andmethods: This cross-sectionalstudy at Nishtar Hospital, Multan, included 141 women: 74 normotensive and 67preeclamptic. Data was collected using an automated hematology analyzer andanalyzed with SPSS version 26 and ROC curves.

Results: Mean age was 27.45 ± 5.18 years for cases and 28.41 ± 5.28 years for controls ( = 0.280).Gestational age was lower in the preeclamptic group (31.97 ± 4.07 weeks)compared to controls (33.92 ± 3.30 weeks) ( = 0.002). Blood pressures werehigher in preeclamptic women ( < 0.001). Platelet count was lower inpreeclamptic women (183.42 ± 95.69) vs. controls (256.42 ± 77.98) ( < 0.001). MPV (10.98 ± 1.55 vs. 9.79 ± 1.59,  < 0.001) and PDW (16.82 ± 5.70vs. 14.20 ± 2.40,  < 0.001) were higher in preeclamptic women. ROC analysisshowed PDW had an AUC of 0.73 and MPV an AUC of 0.71.

Conclusions: PDW and MPV aresignificantly altered in preeclamptic women and can aid in early detection,potentially enhancing management.