title: Increased erythrocyte osmotic fragility in pregnancy.
abstract: An unexpected increase in erythrocyte osmotic fragility during pregnancy in two healthy women prompted a study of the effects of pregnancy on osmotic fragility. The incubated glycerol lysis time, a rapid, sensitive measure of osmotic fragility, was determined in 100 pregnant women and 50 nonpregnant control subjects. Twenty-two of the pregnant women (22%) showed abnormal results when compared to normal nonpregnant women (p less than 0.0005). Increased erythrocyte fragility was observed primarily in the last trimester of pregnancy. Twenty-one of 65 women in the last trimester (32.3%) had abnormal incubated glycerol lysis time values, but only one of 34 (2.9%) showed increased fragility during early pregnancy. Physiologic shifts in erythrocyte osmotic fragility may create a problem in the diagnosis of hereditary spherocytosis during the last trimester of pregnancy.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D005990:Glycerol; D006801:Humans; D009996:Osmotic Fragility; D011247:Pregnancy; D011250:Pregnancy Complications, Hematologic / Q000175:diagnosis; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third; D013103:Spherocytosis, Hereditary / Q000175:diagnosis
chemical_list: D005990:Glycerol