Comparison of nucleated red blood cells in the umbilical cord of term neonates in healthy women and women with preeclampsia

BACKGROUND Asphyxia is a common cause of perinatal mortality in 5-10% of all births worldwide. The present parameters for determining perinatal asphyxia, e.g. preeclampsia, cannot be considered as markers per se, and require auxiliary markers, e.g. increased number of nucleated red blood (NRBC) cells, for early diagnosis of perinatal asphyxia. OBJECTIVE In this study, we evaluated the mean NRBC count in preeclampsia and to determine the usefulness of the NRBC as independent prognostic factors of perinatal complications. MATERIALS AND METHODS This was a cross-sectional study in order to compare the NRBC in the umbilical cord of term neonates born to 50 mothers with preeclampsia and 150 normal mothers. The exclusion criteria were mother's affliction with complications of pregnancy and inexact last menstrual period. The variables under study were maternal and neonatal data. The count of NRBC was determined with standard laboratory procedures in the blood samples from umbilical cord of the neonates. The acquired data were fed into SPSS 16 software and analyzed using statistical tests. RESULTS The mean value of NRBC count was significantly higher in preeclamptic women (p<0.0001). The average 1(st) and 5(th) minute Apgar scores were significantly higher in normal mothers (p<0.001). CONCLUSION Increase of NRBC in neonates born to mothers with preeclampsia may be due to chronic hypoxia; this group of neonates has increased risk and requires more precise and extensive care during delivery and after birth in order to have reduced mortality and complications during the neonatal period.