C-Reactive Protein and Routine Coagulation Studies in Obstetric Patients with and without Recorded Clinical Complications in Ibadan, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Pregnancy alters inflammatory and haemostatic profiles, complicating the interpretation of routine laboratory measurements. Aim: This study compared C-reactive protein (CRP), prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time with kaolin (aPTTK) in obstetric participants with recorded clinical complications and apparently healthy pregnant controls in Ibadan, Nigeria. Study Design: Comparative case-control study. Place and Duration of Study: Adeoyo State Hospital, Ring Road, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. Data collection commenced in November 2025 following ethical approval and took place within the approved study period of 12 November 2025 to 11 November 2026. Methodology: The study included 250 participants, 150 in the clinical group and 100 controls. The clinical group comprised participants with various obstetric and medical conditions. CRP was measured by latex-enhanced immunoturbidimetry on the Abbott ARCHITECT c4000. PT and aPTTK were measured by duplicate manual clot-endpoint procedures. CRP was compared using a Welch independent-samples t test, PT and aPTTK were compared using Mann-Whitney U tests, and associations were examined using Pearson product-moment correlation; analyses were unadjusted. Statistical significance was assessed at a two-sided alpha level of .05. Results: Mean CRP was higher in the clinical group than in controls (3.71 ± 1.91 vs 2.87 ± 1.54 mg/L; P = .012; Cohen's d = 0.45). PT did not differ significantly between groups (median 12.95 vs 12.78 s; P = .312), and aPTTK was also similar (median 29.96 vs 30.41 s; P = .590). CRP correlated weakly and inversely with PT (r = -0.24, P = .001) and aPTTK (r = -0.21, P = .006), while PT and aPTTK were weakly positively correlated (r = 0.15, P = .047). Conclusion: The clinical group had a higher mean CRP concentration, while routine coagulation studies did not differ significantly. Correlations were weak. Given the heterogeneous clinical group and unadjusted comparisons, findings represent aggregate rather than condition-specific associations.