Evaluation of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and serum lipid profile in southeastern Nigerian women with pre-eclampsia

ABSTRACT

To evaluate the serum C-reactive protein [CRP] and lipid profile in women with pre-eclampsia. Materials and Thirty-five women with and 35 women without pre-eclampsia, who were in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy, were enrolled in this study. Weight in kilogrammes and height in metres were measured to calculate the mean body mass index [BMI] for each group. The diastolic and systolic blood pressures were measured. Lipid profile tests and serum CRP assay were done for all patients. Total cholesterol, triglycerides [TG] and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol [HDL-C] were determined using enzymatic methods, while low-density lipoprotein cholesterol [LDL-C] was calculated using Friedewald's formula. The mean values of the BMI were 29.47 +/- 6.90 versus 26.14 +/- 2.92, of the diastolic blood pressure 109.14 +/- 15.41 versus 72.29 +/- 9.42 mm Hg and of the systolic blood pressure 170.57 +/- 19.55 versus 120.86 +/- 17.72 mm Hg for women with and without pre-eclampsia, respectively, and the differences were statistically significant [p = 0.012, p = 0.001 and p = 0.001, respectively]. The biochemical analysis also indicated that the women with pre-eclampsia had a significantly higher mean serum CRP [8.57 +/- 2.68 vs. 6.46 +/- 2.46 mg/l, p = 0.001], TG [2.84 +/- 0.45 vs. 1.87 +/- 0.38 mmol/l, p = 0.001] and total cholesterol [5.59 +/- 0.92 vs. 4.63 +/- 0.78 mmol/l, p = 0.001] level but a lower mean HDL-C [1.10 +/- 0.12 vs. 1.26 +/- 0.15 mmol/l, p = 0.001] level than the controls. There was no statistical difference in the mean LDL-C values between the 2 groups [1.58 +/- 0.8 vs. 1.45 +/- 0.78 mmol/l, p > 0.05]. Significant changes in CRP as well as TG, total cholesterol and HDL-C were associated with pre-eclampsia in these Southeastern Nigerian women