Maternal gestational hypertension may be linked to an elevated incidence of early-onset neonatal thrombocytopenia, including fetal and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (FNAIT), according to a study recently published in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth.
Recognizing that maternal preeclampsia increases the risk for early-onset neonatal thrombocytopenia, including FNAIT, the researchers sought to evaluate whether pregnancy-induced hypertension may affect the incidence of early-onset neonatal thrombocytopenia.
Data were obtained from neonates born to mothers with preeclampsia or gestational hypertension, as well as from healthy mothers. All of the neonates were admitted within 72 hours of birth to the Department of Neonatology and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Enze Hospital, Taizhou Enze Medical Center, located in Taizhou, China, between Jan. 1, 2020, and Dec. 31, 2022.
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Results of the study showed that the rate of early-onset thrombocytopenia was higher among neonates born to mothers with pregnancy-induced hypertension compared with those born to healthy mothers (23.2% vs 7.9%, respectively). In fact, the incidence of early-onset thrombocytopenia among neonates born to mothers with preeclampsia was significantly higher compared with that among neonates who were born to mothers with gestational hypertension or those born to healthy mothers (30.0% vs 13.3% vs 7.9%, respectively).
Overall, there were 26 neonates diagnosed with moderate or severe thrombocytopenia. The rates of moderate and severe thrombocytopenia, however, did not differ significantly among the three groups.
Based on the study findings, it appears as if the presence of maternal gestational hypertension or preeclampsia significantly increased the risk for occurrence of early neonatal thrombocytopenia compared with healthy mothers.
The authors concluded that they “recommend platelet count screening during the early stages for neonates of mothers with gestational hypertension.”
Thrombocytopenia is associated with an elevated risk for bleeding, including life-threatening bleeding that occurs in vital organs, among neonates. Among neonates who are admitted to an ICU, the rates of thrombocytopenia can vary between 22% and 35%.
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