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Impact of parity and gestational age of mothers with hypertension on birth weight, red blood cells and mode of delivery of their babies


Helen Chioma Okoye
Chilota Chibuife Efobi
Josephat Maduabuchi Chinawa
Odutola Israel Odetunde
Awoere Tamunosiki Chinawa
Elias Chikee Aniwada

Abstract

Background: Maternal factors are determinants of birth outcome which includes birth weight, haematological indices and mode of delivery of their babies.
Objectives: To determine the impact of parity and gestational age of hypertensive mothers on some neonatal variables.
Methods: A hospital based cross-sectional study of measurement of neonatal variables (birth weight, red blood cells and mode of delivery) among hypertensive mothers and their controls was conducted over a period of six months. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences program (SPSS), version 20.
Results: There were statistically significant differences in means between the neonates of the hypertensive group and non-hypertensive group for maternal age (t =1.61, p = 0.002), baby weight (t =2.87, p < 0.001), haemoglobin (Hb) (t =4.65, p = 0.010) and packed cell volume (PCV) (t =4.75, p = 0.009), but none for gravidity (t =1.95, p = 0.927)
For all subjects, there was poor correlation between gestational age and variables; birth weight , haemoglobin (Hb), packed cell volume (PCV), nucleated red blood cell (nRBC) and parity. Likewise, parity poorly correlated with variables; age, birth weight, Hb, PCV, and nRBC. There was a statistically significant association between mode of delivery and hypertension (χ2 =53.082, p <0.001) but none with having a family history of hypertension (χ2 =1.13, p = 0.287).
Conclusion: Parity and gestational age of mothers with hypertension have no impact on birth weight and red cells when compared with their non-hypertensive counterparts. However, mothers of babies delivered by elective and emergency caesarean section were about 2-3 times more likely to be hypertensive than those that delivered through spontaneous vertex delivery.

Keywords: Hypertension; neonate; gestational age; parity.


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eISSN: 1729-0503
print ISSN: 1680-6905