Effect of severe hyperemesis gravidarum on maternal vascular endothelial health: evaluation of soluble adhesion molecules.

Purpose: This study aimed to clarify the effect of severe hyperemesis gravidarum (sHG) on maternal vascular endothelial health with evaluation of soluble adhesion molecules.Method: The study population consisted of two groups of pregnant participants between 18 and 35 years of age who were between 5 and 13 weeks of gestation: sHG group and a healthy control group. A group of 26 participants whose pregnancies were complicated by sHG was compared with 26 healthy participants regarding serum levels of the soluble adhesion molecules such as E-selectin, soluble intracellular cell adhesion molecule 1 (sICAM-1), and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule one (sVCAM-1), as well as other biochemical markers. The two groups had similar baseline characteristics.

Results

Maternal baseline characteristics were similar in both groups. Serum levels of E-selectin (p < .001), sICAM-1 (p < .001), and sVCAM-1 (p < .001) were higher in the sHG group compared with the control group. Higher blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, and sodium levels, serum osmolarity, and urine density (p < .001, < .001, .006, .041, and .001, respectively) were also observed in the sHG group compared with the control group.

Conclusions

The findings of this study indicated that sHG could impact endothelial cell function and these changes represented hypovolemia and dehydration caused by severe vomiting. Large-scale studies are required to understand the clinical importance of this finding regarding the long-term consequences and underlying mechanisms of elevated sICAM-1, sVCAM-1, and sE-selectin synthesis.