Abstract
BACKGROUND: Heart disease is a leading cause of hospitalization, death, and poor physical function due to comorbid conditions such as atrial fibrillation and stroke. It affects the blood hemostatic system, vasculature, and flow dynamics, causing both arterial and venous thrombosis. Thus, this study aimed to determine the magnitude of coagulation abnormalities among patients with heart disease attending the University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized hospital. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on a total of 98 patients with heart disease. Pretested structured questionnaires were used to collect data on socio-demographic and clinical variables. About 6 mL of venous blood was collected with the vacutainer method and analyzed using Huma cue-due plus and Sysmex KX-21N hematology analyzers for assessing coagulation abnormalities. Stool samples were processed via a direct wet mount. Thin and thick blood films were examined to assess malaria parasites. Data was entered into EPI-Info version 3.5.3 and then transported to SPSS version 20 for analysis. Descriptive statistics were summarized using frequency and percentage. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were fitted to identify factors associated with coagulopathy. P-value <0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. RESULTS: The overall magnitude of coagulation abnormalities (thrombocytopenia, prolonged prothrombin time, and activated partial thromboplastin time) in patients with heart diseases was 85.7% (95% CI: 81.96, 89.45). Besides, prolonged prothrombin time, prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time, and thrombocytopenia were detected in 83.7%, 33.7%, and 12.2% of the study participants, respectively. Participants who are taking medications for chronic disease (AOR = 0.17; 95% CI: 0.04, 0.69), participants with stroke (AOR = 20; 95% CI: 14.7, 35), and participants taking antibiotics (AOR = 8.17; 95% CI: 1.66, 40.27) were significantly associated with prolonged coagulation time. CONCLUSION: This study showed that patients with heart disease had prolonged prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, and thrombocytopenia. Therefore, coagulation parameters are required to be checked regularly to monitor coagulation disorders and their complications in heart disease patients.