role of calcium, magnesium, and trace elements zinc and copper in preterm labour and prelabour spontaneous rupture of membranes

This work was conducted on 60 pregnant women. Twenty full term normal pregnant women without premature rupture of membranes and with true labour pains [as a control group], 20 pregnant women with preterm labour and 20 full term pregnant women with prelabour spontaneous rupture of membranes. This work was done to study the relationship and role of calcium. magnesium and the trace elements, zinc and copper in pregnant women with preterm labour and those with premature spontaneous rupture of membranes. Maternal serum levels of calcium, magnesium, zinc and copper were measured in the three groups. In addition, their levels were also measured in the foetal membrane in cases with prelabour spontaneous rupture of membranes and the control group. The maternal serum levels of calcium, magnesium, zinc and copper, were statistically significantly decreased in cases with prelabour spontaneous rupture of membranes compared with the control group. Also a significant decrease in maternal serum levels of calcium, magnesium and zinc was found in cases with preterm labour compared with the control group, but there was no statistical significant change in the serum copper levels. The foetal membrane levels of calcium, magnesium and copper, were significantly decreased in cases with prelabour spontaneous rupture of membranes compared with the control group, but the foetal membrane zinc showed no significant decrease

Serum and urinary calcium levels in different forms of gestational hypertension

To assess the significance of measrments of serum and urinary calcium in differentiation between different forms of gestational hypertension, serum calcium, 24-hour urinary calcium/creatinine ratio and urinary calcium/creatinine ratio in random samples were measured in 31 pregnant women in the third trimester. They were classified into the following 4 groups: group I: normal pregnant women as a control group [n=8], group II: pregnant women with transient hypertension [n=7], group III: pregnant women with chronic hypertension "with history of hypertension before pregnancy" [n=7] and group IV: pregnant women complicated with pre-eclampsia "hypertension+ proteinuria > 300 mg/24 hour" [n=9]. According to the results obtained, serum calcium levels showed nonsignificant differences between the four studied groups while the mean urinary calcium excertion in the 4 studied group was 213 +/- 56, 210 +/- 52, 198 +/- 48 and 70 +/- 17 mg/24 hour, respectively showing a marked decreased in the pre-eclamptic patients. The mean calcium/creatinine ratio in random urine samples showed also significant decreases [173 +/- 41, 164 +/- 33, 161 +/- 42 and 58 +/- 16 mg/gm, respectively]. We concluded that hypocalcuria was a marked sign in all of our preeclamptic patients. Determination of 24 hour urinary calcium excretion or calcium/creatinine ratio in random urine samples could be a reliable index of pre-eclampsia