Blood Uric Acid Level as a Marker of Increased Risk of Eclampsia in Severe Pre-Eclamptic Patients: A Cross-Sectionnal Study in two Tertiary Hospitals in Yaounde; Cameroon

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND. Eclampsia is the most dangerous maternal complication in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP). Hyperuricemia is a sign of poor prognosis for both the mother and the fetus. We investigated the relationship between uricemia and the occurrence of eclampsia in cases of severe pre-eclampsia.MATERIALS AND METHODS. This was a three-month' cross-sectional study carried out in two tertiary hospitals in the city of Yaounde; Cameroon. All patients attending the hospitals with evidence of severe pre-eclampsia or eclampsia and willing to participate in the study were enrolled. Socio-epidemiology data and blood were collected as soon as the diagnosis was made; uricemia were measured using a spectrophotometric method. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 18.0 and significance was observed when P was 0.05.RESULTS. Ninety five pregnant women; aged between 15 to 41 years; with evidence of severe pre-eclampsia (60) or eclampsia (35) were enrolled during the months of January to march 2015. While age below 20 years increased the risk of eclampsia (OR