Evaluation of serum lipid profiles, uric acid, and high sensitivity C-reactive protein levels between pregnancy-induced hypertension and normotensive pregnant women attending Ambo University Referral Hospital, Ambo, Ethiopia, 2020: A case-control study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Pregnancy-induced hypertension is one of the top three ranked diseases during pregnancy that cause maternal, fetal, and neonatal morbidity and mortality worldwide. To provide adequate information to clinicians and researchers who are striving for potential interventions, biochemical profiling of such patients is required.

METHODS

A hospital-based case-control study design was conducted from August 2020 to May 2021 to evaluate serum lipid profile, uric acid, and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) among women with pregnancy-induced hypertension compared to normotensive pregnant women. Data were entered and analyzed using SPSS version 25. Independent t-test and χ 2 were used to compare the relationship of variables between the two groups. A p-value less than 0.05 was used to test statistical significance.

RESULTS

The result of this study showed that while the levels (mean ± SD) of serum total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), TC/high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), TG/HDL-C, LDL-C/HDL-C were significantly elevated, HDL-C was decreased among women with pregnancy-induced hypertension than normotensive pregnant women (p < 0.0001). The levels (mean ± SD) of uric acid and hs-CRP were significantly higher among women with pregnancy-induced hypertension compared to normotensive pregnant women (p < 0.0001).

CONCLUSION

This study indicated that pregnancy-induced hypertension women have lipid abnormalities, increased systemic inflammatory markers, and hyperuricemia compared to normotensive pregnant women. Thus, women with PIH showing high dyslipidemia, hyperuricemia, and inflammation are likely to develop hypertension. Therefore, evaluation of these potential biomarkers during early antenatal care services may help seek interventions in PIH.