Abstract
Introduction
Preeclampsia (PE) is a serious pregnancy complication associated with significant risks for both mothers and fetuses. Identifying biological markers that predict adverse outcomes is essential for improving clinical management and outcomes in severe preeclampsia.
Purpose
This study aimed to identify blood and urine biological markers that are strongly associated with maternal-fetal complications among women with severe preeclampsia.
Methods
A total of 204 pregnant women hospitalized for severe preeclampsia were included. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory data were collected. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to determine biological predictors of maternal-fetal complications.
Results
The mean age of participants was 28 ± 6.7 years, with 53.8% being primiparous. A history of preeclampsia was present in 19.2% of patients, and 63.5% had chronic hypertension. The median gestational age at diagnosis was 32 weeks (range: 28–36 weeks). Overall, 53.8% of patients experienced complications, most commonly retroplacental hematoma (14.4%), eclampsia (11.5%), and acute renal failure (10.6%). Biological markers significantly associated with maternal-fetal complications were uric acid > 6 mg/dl (p = 0.006), AST > 40 IU/L (p = 0.017), creatinine ≥ 1.3 mg/dl (p = 0.037), proteinuria ≥ 3 g/24h (p = 0.023), and ACR ≥ 30 (p = 0.023). After multivariate adjustment, three markers remained independently associated with complications: uric acid > 6 mg/dl (ORa: 2.26; 95% CI: 1.05–4.87), AST > 40 IU/L (ORa: 2.43; 95% CI: 1.02–5.76), and ACR ≥ 30 (ORa: 2.95; 95% CI: 1.21–7.19).
Conclusion
Preeclampsia remains a complex condition requiring vigilant monitoring. Elevated uric acid, AST, and ACR were identified as independent predictors of maternal-fetal complications and may serve as valuable markers for risk stratification. These findings support the integration of biomarker assessment into management strategies, while future research should evaluate additional markers and personalized protocols to improve maternal and perinatal outcomes.
References
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. (2019). ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 202: Gestational hypertension and preeclampsia. Obstetrics & Gynecology, 133(1), e1–e25. https://doi.org/10.1097/AOG.0000000000003018
Bellomo, R., Kellum, J. A., & Ronco, C. (2005). Defining, quantifying, and classifying acute renal failure. Critical Care Clinics, 21(2), 223–237. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccc.2004.12.001
Chadha, A., & Tayade, S. (2022). Urinary protein-to-creatinine ratio: An indicator of adverse clinical outcomes in preeclampsia with proteinuria. Cureus, 14(3), e23341. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.23341
Dacaj, R., Izetbegovic, S., Stojkanovic, G., & Gjergja, A. (2016). Elevated liver enzymes in cases of preeclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction. Medical Archives, 70(1), 44–47. https://doi.org/10.5455/medarh.2016.70.44-47
Dong, X., Gou, W., Li, C., Wu, M., Han, Z., Li, X., & Lin, J. (2017). Proteinuria in preeclampsia: Not essential to diagnosis but related to disease severity and fetal outcomes. Pregnancy Hypertension: An International Journal of Women’s Cardiovascular Health, 8, 60–64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.preghy.2017.03.005
Elongi, J. P., Spitz, B., Verdonck, F., & Van Geertruyden, J. P. (2011). Influence de la variation saisonnière sur la prévalence de la pré-éclampsie. Gynécologie Obstétrique & Fertilité, 39(3), 132–135. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gyobfe.2010.12.010
Koopmans, C. M., van Pampus, M. G., Groen, H., Aarnoudse, J. G., van den Berg, P. P., & Mol, B. W. J. (2009). Accuracy of serum uric acid as a predictive test for maternal complications in pre-eclampsia: Bivariate meta-analysis and decision analysis. European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, 146(1), 8–14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejogrb.2009.05.014
Kozic, J. R., Benton, S. J., Hutcheon, J. A., Payne, B. A., Magee, L. A., & von Dadelszen, P. (2011). Abnormal liver function tests as predictors of adverse maternal outcomes in women with preeclampsia. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada, 33(10), 995–1004. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1701-2163(16)35048-4
Kumar, N., & Singh, A. K. (2019). Maternal serum uric acid as a predictor of severity of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy: A prospective cohort study. Current Hypertension Reviews, 15(2), 154–160. https://doi.org/10.2174/1573402114666181112141953
Laskin, S., Payne, B., Hutcheon, J., Qu, Z., & von Dadelszen, P. (2011). The role of platelet counts in the assessment of inpatient women with preeclampsia. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada, 33(9), 900–908. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1701-2163(16)35015-0
Martins-Costa, S. H., Vettorazzi, J., Valério, E. G., Cézar, R., & Ramos, J. G. (2011). Protein-creatinine ratio in random urine samples of hypertensive pregnant women: Maternal and perinatal outcomes. Hypertension in Pregnancy, 30(3), 331–337. https://doi.org/10.3109/10641950903454564
Payne, B. A., Hutcheon, J. A., Ansermino, J. M., Hall, D. R., Bhutta, Z. A., Bhutta, S. Z., Biryabarema, C., Grobman, W. A., Grobman, L., Haniff, F., Li, J., Magee, L. A., Nakimuli, A., Nassar, A. H., Qu, Z., Sikandar, R., Ukah, U. V., & von Dadelszen, P. (2014). A risk prediction model for the assessment and triage of women with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy in low-resourced settings: The miniPIERS (Pre-eclampsia Integrated Estimate of RiSk) multi-country prospective cohort study. PLoS Medicine, 11(1), e1001589. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001589
Rana, S., Lemoine, E., Granger, J. P., & Karumanchi, S. A. (2019). Preeclampsia: Pathophysiology, challenges, and perspectives. Circulation Research, 124(7), 1094–1112. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.118.313276
Thangaratinam, S., Ismail, K. M. K., Sharp, S., Coomarasamy, A., & Khan, K. S. (2006). Accuracy of serum uric acid in predicting complications of pre-eclampsia: A systematic review. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 113(4), 369–378. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-0528.2006.00908.x
Thangaratinam, S., Ismail, K. M. K., Sharp, S., Coomarasamy, A., & Khan, K. S. (2007). Prioritisation of tests for the prediction of preeclampsia complications: A Delphi survey. Hypertension in Pregnancy, 26(2), 131–138. https://doi.org/10.1080/10641950601148000
Thangaratinam, S., Ismail, K. M. K., Sharp, S., Coomarasamy, A., & Khan, K. S. (2009). Estimation of proteinuria as a predictor of complications of pre-eclampsia: A systematic review. BMC Medicine, 7(10), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1186/1741-7015-7-10
Tshibuela, B. D., Elongi, J. P., Nkodila, N. A., & Muwonga, M. J. (2017). Relationship between uricemia and other biochemical markers with materno-fetal complications during pre-eclampsia. Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 7(13), 1255–1261. https://doi.org/10.4236/ojog.2017.713128
von Dadelszen, P., Payne, B., Li, J., Ansermino, J. M., Broughton Pipkin, F., Côté, A.-M., Douglas, M. J., Gruslin, A., Hutcheon, J. A., Joseph, K. S., Kyle, P. M., Lee, T., Loughna, P., Menzies, J. M., Merialdi, M., Millman, A. L., Moore, M. P., Moutquin, J.-M., Ouellet, A. B., … Magee, L. A. (2011). Prediction of adverse maternal outcomes in pre-eclampsia: Development and validation of the fullPIERS model. The Lancet, 377(9761), 219–227. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(10)61351-7

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.