Comparison of Whole Blood Clotting Time and Platelets Count among Different Hemoglobin Variants among Students in A Tertiary Institution in Nigeria

Abstract

Blood coagulation is a complex physiological process that prevents excessive haemorrhage and preserves the integrity of the circulatory system. It comprises a sequence of tightly regulated events that culminate in the formation of a blood clot, or thrombus, at the site of vascular injury. whole blood clotting time and platelets count provide valuable information about the coagulation system's functionality, aid in diagnosing various hematological disorders, guide treatment decisions, and help assess bleeding and clotting tendencies in individuals This study compared whole blood clotting time and platelets count among different hemoglobin variants among students of Madonna University Nigeria, Elele. A total of two hundred and fifty three apparently healthy subjects comprising132 hemoglobin AA subjects and 121 hemoglobin AS subjects within the age range of 17 to 35 years were enrolled for this study. A total of 141 were males while 112 were females. Before the commencement of the study, ethical approval was obtained from the university as well as informed oral consent of all subjects. Blood samples were collected using standard venipuncture technique and analyzed for whole blood clotting time and platelet count using Lee and White method and method described by Cheesbrough, 2006 respectively. The result obtained for platelets count from subjects with hemoglobin AA variants (177.2±17.4 x109) were higher than subjects with hemoglobin AS variants (175.8±19.7 x109) but statistically non-significant (p>0.05). The result obtained from subjects with hemoglobin AA variants and subjects with hemoglobin AS variants showed a non-significant increase (p>0.05) in whole blood clotting time. Subjects with hemoglobin AA variants with (4.94±0.84 minutes) when compared to subjects with hemoglobin AS variants (4.83±0.98 minutes. When the results were compared between the male and female subjects, it showed a significant decrease (p<0.05) in platelets count of males (167.9 ± 17.8) when compared to females (180.5 ± 2.9). But, there was a significant increase (p<0.05) in clotting time of males (5.4 ± 1.1) when compared to females (4.7 ± 0.7)). In conclusion, this research work demonstrates that whole blood clotting time remains largely uniform irrespective of hemoglobin type. However, notable disparities in platelet counts among the different hemoglobin variants were observed, emphasizing the potential influence of these genetic variations on this parameter.