1 and mortality .Hypertensive disorders of
pregnancy were ranked as the third most
important cause of maternal mortality throughout
2 in Pakistan . During the past 20 years, the
incidence of hypertensive disorders during
pregnancy has increased, probably partly caused
3 by increasing obesity and partly by maternal age .
Globally, pre-eclampsia and eclampsia account
4 for 10%–15% of maternal deaths . Maternal
Mortality is extremely high in Pakistan where1:89
women dies because of maternal causes with pre-
5 eclampsia and eclampsia .
Pre-eclampsia is a multiorgan disease process of
unknown etiology characterized by increased
blood pressure and proteinuria after 20 weeks of
6 gestation . Pregnancy induced hypertension is a
major cause of maternal mortality and morbidity in
Pakistan and its incidence and related mortality
are high due to the lack of adequate antenatal
7 care . Women diagnosed with pre-eclampsia or
eclampsia are at increased risk of future
cardiovascular or cerebrovascular accidents and
the risk becomes almost double when compared
to unaffected women .
H e m a t o l o g i c a l a b n o r m a l i t i e s s u c h a s
thrombocytopenia and decrease in some plasma
clotting factors may develop in pre-eclamptic
9 women . The degree of thrombocytopenia
increases with severity of disease and the
incidence of thrombocytopenia depend on the
severity of the disease process. Lower the platelet
count, greater are the maternal and fetal morbidity
10 and mortality . Overt thrombocytopenia caused
by platelet count less than 1 lac/μl indicates the
severity of disease process where as in most
cases the hypertensive disorder especially in
pregnancy is elicited because of continuous
10 decrease in platelets count . Therefore present
study is carried out to provide the information and
suggestion to the patient and clinician for the early
detection of thrombocytopenia in women
presenting with varying degree of pregnancy
induced hypertension (PIH) in preventing the life
threatening complications like HELLP syndrome.