Relationship between Natural Coagulation Inhibitor and Obstetrics History in Predicting Thromboembolic Events during Pregnancy

Abstract

Background: There is a low level of information on natural coagulation inhibitors in this environment and whether the early detection of its deficiencies could serve as a risk assessment tool for thromboembolic events in pregnancy. This study aims to determine the relationship between natural coagulation inhibitors and obstetrics history in predicting thromboembolic events during pregnancy. Methods: The study was a comparative cross-sectional hospital-based study conducted among one hundred and fifty pregnant women and age-matched healthy non-pregnant control. Obstetrics history was obtained via questionnaire and other information was extracted from case notes. Blood specimens were obtained for laboratory assessment of natural coagulation inhibitors (Protein C, S, and antithrombin III) at various trimesters of pregnancy. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 23. Results: All NCIs decreased across the three trimesters of pregnancy but only the mean protein S and antithrombin III decreased with statistical significance (p = 0.001). Protein C, S, and antithrombin III did not show a statistically significant association when correlated with obstetrics histories. Conclusion: Although this study demonstrated a progressive decrease in the levels of NCIs across various trimesters of pregnancy, the use of NCIs as predictive tools for thromboembolic events in women with past bad obstetrics histories was not established but rather for risk assessment during pregnancy regardless of past obstetrics history.