ABSTRACT
Pregnancy presents a dynamic challenge to maternal cardiovascular physiology and the alterations that take place during pregnancy are among the most wide-ranging occurring in pathological states. Before considering the changes in materal hemorheology found in pathological pregnancy, it is important to have a good understanding of the hemorheological profile throughout normal healthy pregnancy. Maternal cigarette smoking in pregnancy has been clearly associated with low birth weight of the fetus, preterm delivery, increased fetal loss, and long-term impairment of mental and physical growth in the child. Abnormal hemorheology has been extensively reported in diabetic patients, the main components of their diabetic hyperviscosity being a reduction in red cell deformability and an elevation in plasma fibrinogen level. Artificial elevation of the hematocrit by unnecessary administration of iron in pregnancy could be disadvantageous, and factors which are known to produce hyperviscosity states in the nonpregnant subject, such as cigarette smoking and hypertension are associated with impaired fetal nutrition.
