Abstract:
Background: In Sri Lanka, pregnancy-related hypertension, notably preeclampsia, is a prominent
health concern, posing substantial risks to maternal and fetal well-being.
Objective: To determine the distribution patterns of serum creatinine in normal pregnant women
and women diagnosed with pregnancy-induced hypertension
Methods: This is a population based, analytical, cross-sectional study. In this study, 34 normal
pregnant women (group 1) and 34 pregnant women with pregnancy-induced hypertension (group
2; 140/90 mmHg on two or more occasion and without proteinuria) were enlisted. Serum
creatinine levels were estimated using colorimetric Jaffe alkaline picric acid kinetic method. Pre
pregnancy weight and height measurements were taken from the clinical records and the pre
pregnancy BMI values of the women were calculated. Mean serum creatinine levels were
compared between group 1 and group 2 by independent sample t-test.
Results: The serum creatinine level ranged from 0.38-1.14 mg/dL among the total of 68 women.
Mean serum creatinine levels of group 1 and group 2 women were 0.53±0.06 and 0.76±0.17
mg/dL, respectively. A statistically significant difference (p<0.001) in the mean serum creatinine
levels was observed between the two groups of the pregnant women. The selected women were
classified into underweight (<18.5 kg/m2), normal (18.5-24.9 kg/m2), overweight (25.0-29.9
kg/m2), obese (30.0-39.9 kg/m2) and extremely obese (>40.0 kg/m2). Majority of the women in
group 1, exhibited normal BMI mean±SD (21.95±2.10 kg/m2) while those in group 2 were
overweight (26.881.05 kg/m2) and the differences in mean serum creatinine levels within these
BMI groups were not differ significantly (p>0.05).
Conclusions: Our study highlights a significant elevation in serum creatinine level among
individuals with pregnancy induced hypertension than the normotensive group suggesting its
potential utility as a marker for early detection of pre-eclampsia-like pregnancy-induced
hypertensive diseases.
