Evaluation of serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor in hyperemesis gravidarum.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels in pregnant women with hyperemesis gravidarum (HG).

METHODS

In this prospective case-control study with longitudinal follow-up, the HG group consisted of 44 pregnant women diagnosed with HG in the first trimester. The control group included 44 healthy pregnant women matched to the HG group for age and body mass index. Serum BDNF levels were measured during the acute phase of HG (first trimester) and remission (second trimester) and compared with those of healthy controls. BDNF levels were determined using commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits.

RESULTS

In both trimesters, demographic characteristics at the time of blood sampling were comparable between groups. In the first trimester, serum BDNF levels were 3224.6 pg/mL in the HG group and 3322.7 pg/mL in the control group (p = 0.448). In the second trimester, levels were 3698.2 pg/mL in the HG group and 3214.7 pg/mL in the control group (p = 0.388). Within-group comparisons revealed no significant differences between trimesters (p = 0.498 for HG; p = 0.536 for controls). Also, the change in BDNF levels from the first to the second trimester did not differ between groups (p = 0.848).

CONCLUSIONS

The current findings suggest that changes in serum BDNF levels do not contribute to the pathogenesis of HG, nor are they significantly affected by the disease itself. Nevertheless, these findings should be interpreted in the context of a single-center study and confirmed in larger multicenter longitudinal studies.