MATERNAL SERUM URIC ACID: A RELIABLE PROGNOSTIC INDICATOR OF PREGNANCY OUTCOME IN WOMEN WITH PREECLAMPSIA-ECLAMPSIA
Author(s): Eleti Manila Reddy, Manjusha Agrawal*, Deepika Dewani and Nidhi Goyal
Abstract
Preeclampsia and Eclampsia is prevalent among almost one tenth of the pregnant women around the world which usually starts from persistence of high blood pressure over the course of time. After 20 weeks of pregnancy, proteinuria (>300 mg/24 h) and sudden onset hypertension (140 systolic/90 diastolic mm Hg) are signs of preeclampsia, a pregnancy-induced condition. One of the most serious factors contributing to maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality is still preeclampsia. Preeclampsia is a condition that affects numerous organs and is marked by serious issues with the heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, and nervous system. Negative perinatal consequences for the fetus include intrauterine mortality, preterm birth, and fetal growth limitation. Pregnancy termination is the only effective treatment for preeclampsia, but many expectant mothers can be managed with blood pressure monitoring for the mother, fetal monitoring, and seizure prevention. Predicting preeclampsia and its complications is crucial to preventing maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Uric acid is the final substance in the process of purine metabolism. Elevated levels are considered to be an early biomarker of kidney damage in women with pre-eclampsia and also a factor in predicting fetal death. Serum uric acid fluctuates in the pregnancy levels but its correlation with the onset of preeclampsia and eclampsia offers a path forward. As majority of the severe or fatal clinical outcome in case of mother or neonates has been associated with late detection of the preeclampsia or eclampsia thus underlining the importance of the early detection of the same. Serum uric acid can offer valuable diagnostic tool to detect and start treatment as early as possible. More empirical study which covers wide spectrum of pregnant mothers all over the world is needed to concretely establish the positive correlation between uric acid and preeclampsia and eclampsia.