A Systematic Review of the Association of Low Platelet Counts and Preeclampsia

Introduction: Preeclampsia is a serious pregnancy-related disorder that affects women worldwide; representing as a main cause of feto-maternal morbidity and mortality.
Objectives: The present systematic review aims to evaluate the reported values of platelet count differences in preeclamptic women and compare them to normotensive pregnant women as controls.
Methods: Pubmed-NCBI, Web of Science and Google scholar Database were searched till November 2023 using the keywords “Preeclampsia OR eclampsia AND platelet count". Cohort, case-control, and cross-sectional studies reporting data on platelet count in preeclampsia in comparison to normotensive pregnant women were included.
Results: Ten articles were included, with a total of 870 preeclampsia cases and 1409 controls. The mean (SD) of the platelets count was significantly lower in preeclamptic women compared to normotensive pregnant women [195.2 (55.7) % vs. 249.4 (52.5) %, P < 0.001]. The mean difference was 55.18, 95% CI = 38.33–72.04. However, it was insignificantly lower in women with severe preeclampsia compared to those with mild preeclampsia [178(42.11) vs. 216 (48.69), respectively, P =0.76]. The mean difference was 40.6, 95% CI = 34.24–46.95.
Conclusions: The platelets count is low in preeclampsia and can be considered as a promising laboratory marker for the detection and follow-up of pregnant women who develop preeclampsia.