OKPAKO GOODLUCK EBRUVWIYO

Preeclampsia is a hypertensive disorder during pregnancy, and remains a major cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality worldwide. Early biochemical tests are needed to detect preeclampsia. Routine antenatal care relies only on blood pressure and proteinuria to detect the disorder. It is important to identify biochemical analytes that could detect the disorder early before complications set in. Therefore, this study evaluated serum calcium, magnesium and uric acid levels in 53 pregnant women with newly diagnosed preeclampsia, and 50 normotensive pregnant women which served as controls. Clinical data (age, body mass index (BMI), gestational age, and venous blood samples were collected. Serum calcium, magnesium, and uric acid were determined by spectrophotometric method. Data were compared between-group, Pearson correlations, and multivariable linear regression were calculated (adjusting for age, BMI, and gestational age). Preeclamptic women were slightly older and had higher BMI; unadjusted means (controls vs. cases) were calcium 9.29 ± 0.72 vs. 8.20 ± 1.30 mg/dL, magnesium 2.32 ± 0.23 vs. 1.72 ± 0.24 mg/dL, and uric acid 4.39 ± 0.58 vs. 5.72 ± 0.94 mg/dL (p<0.001). After adjustment, differences remained large and statistically significant: calcium −1.19 mg/dL (95% CI −1.64 to −0.73), magnesium −0.59 mg/dL (95% CI −0.70 to −0.49), and uric acid +1.37 mg/dL (95% CI +1.04 to +1.70) (p<0.001). These findings indicate that, preeclampsia is associated with lower calcium and magnesium and higher uric acid independent of age, BMI, and gestational age, supporting their potential value in risk stratification and local antenatal care planning