Risk Factors and Evidence of Neonatal Polycythemia in Duhok Maternity Hospital a Cross-Section Study

Background & objectives: PPolycythemia in the newborn is defined as either venous hematocrit or hemoglobin levels above 65% or 22% g/dl, respectively. This study aimed to find the prevalence of polycythemia among those newborns who delivered at Duhok maternity hospital.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from 1st June to 31st December 2019 for those newly delivered neonates at Duhok maternity hospital. The collected data were included: neonates age, sex, birth weight, gestational age, APGAR score, oxygen saturation, type of pregnancy, type of delivery, occipito-frontal circumference, and their relationships to polycythemia, in this study neonates were halved into two groups (with polycythemia and without polycythemia).Results: Of total 300 randomly selected newborns, 31 (10.33%) had polycythemia. from those neonates; males 16 (51.6%) and females 15 (48.38%). The 2 hours or less aged babies were 18 (58.06%) and it was not significant statically from those with age more than 2 hours 13 (41.94). Polycythemia was higher among products of normal vaginal delivery 27 (87.1%) also was statistically significant. Furthermore, polycythemia was highly significant for those with gestational age 37-42 weeks 15 (48.38%), also the same among those babies with birth weight 2.5-4 kg 18 (58.08%). A 23 (74.1%) of polycythemic newborns were asymptomatic followed by respiratory distress 4 (12.9%). Cyanosis comes later with 2 (6.45%) and poor feeding 1 (3.22%).Conclusion: Polycythemia is more prevalent among Kurdish newborns in comparison to other nationalities; most babies with polycythemia were asymptomatic followed by respiratory distress, cyanosis, and poor feeding.