Distribution of Serum Creatinine Levels in Pregnant Women with Pregnancy Induced Hypertension.

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 (26.881.05 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.