ASSOCIATION OF LOW AMNIOTIC FLUID INDEX WITH ADVERSE FETAL OUTCOME IN PATIENTS WITH PREGNANCY INDUCED HYPERTENSION

Abstract

Background: Hypertension in pregnancy (PIH) is one of the major morbidities and mortalities of    maternity and perinatal. Impaired uteroplacental perfusion in PIH may result in impaired fetal renal perfusion and the following low amniotic fluid index (AFI) which is a valuable fetal well-being parameter. Adverse fetal outcome has been cited to include low Apgar scores, high number of NICU admissions and perinatal mortality rates because of low AFI. Nevertheless, there is little local data available that compares the results of low and normal AFI in PIH patients. Methods: The research took place in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, PAF Hospital Sargodha, (1st February 2026- 30th April 2026). Non-probability consecutive sampling was used to select 100 pregnant women between 18 and 40 years’ old who had singleton pregnancies (>34 weeks’ gestation) diagnosed with PIH. Patients would be divided into low AFI (5 cm ) and normal AFI (8 18 cm ). All subjects were monitored until delivery, and unfavorable fetal results such as low Apgar score (5 minutes and below), admission to NICU, and perinatal death occurred. The SPSS version 26 was used to conduct data analysis and Chi-square or Fisher’s exact test to compare groups and a p ≤0.05 value was considered significant. Results: It was discovered that Low AFI was correlated with more adverse fetal outcomes than normal AFI such as higher rates of low Apgar scores, NICU hospitalization, and perinatal mortality rates. Conclusion: Poor amniotic fluid index among the pregnant women with hypertension induced by pregnancy is highly linked with the poor fetal outcomes. The detection and close observation of AFI among PIH patients can be early in order to result in perinatal effects and timely intervention.