Comparative Study of Serum Calcium and Magnesium in Pre-eclamptic Pregnancies in Third Trimester and its Comparison with Healthy Normotensive Nonpregnant and Pregnant Women and to Evaluate their role in Pregnancy-induced Hypertension.

ABSTRACT

Background: Despite numerous studies, the etiology of preeclampsia has not been fully elucidated. The study of serum calcium and serum magnesium is gaining ground in the pathophysiology of hypertension. Objective: A comparative study of serum calcium and serum magnesium in women with pre-eclamptic pregnancy and its comparison with healthy normotensive nonpregnant women and healthy normotensive pregnant women in third trimester. Materials and methods: Serum calcium and serum magnesium were measured in 52 women with pre-eclampsia in their trimester of pregnancy as patients group, and in 73 healthy normotensive nonpregnant women and 65 healthy normotensive pregnant women as control groups with similar maternal and gestational ages. Pre-eclamptic group was further divided into two subgroups mild (n = 36) and severe pre-eclampsia (n = 16). This is the case-control hospital based study carried in the Department of Biochemistry, MGM Medical College and associated MY Hospital, Indore, Madhya Pradesh. Results There were no significant differences among the three groups in age and body mass index (BMI) (p > 0.05) but significantly higher differences in gestational age, systolic and diastolic blood pressure was observed (p < 0.001). When comparison of serum calcium and serum magnesium between healthy normotensive nonpregnant women (9.87 ± 0.6 mg/dl, 2.60 ± 0.3 mg/dl) and healthy normotensive pregnant women was done, the levels were lower in the healthy normotensive pregnant women (9.34 ± 0.49 mg/dl, 2.36 ± 0.13 mg/dl) with statistically higher significant difference (p < 0.001). Lower mean values of serum calcium and serum magnesium were found in pre-eclamptic women (8.82 ± 0.93 mg/dl, 1.74 ± 0.24 mg/dl) than those of healthy normotensive nonpregnant women (9.87 ± 0.6 mg/dl, 2.60 ± 0.3 mg/dl) and healthy normotensive pregnant women (9.34 ± 0.49 mg/dl, 2.36 ± 0.13 mg/dl) in third trimester with statistically higher significant differences (p < 0.001). As compare to mild pre-eclamptic pregnant women (9.07 ± 0.8 mg/ dl, 1.77 ± 0.24 mg/dl), the levels of serum calcium and serum magnesium in severe pre-eclamptic pregnant women (8.25 ± 0.97 mg/dl 1.65 ± 0.24 mg/dl) was lower and the difference was significantly higher (p < 0.001). Conclusion: These findings support the hypothesis that hypocalcemia and hypomagnesemia are possible etiologies of pre-eclampsia and levels of calcium may be more important than magnesium.