Publication:

Association of serum calcium level with preeclampsia

Background Preeclampsia and its associated complications remain major causes of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality worldwide. Among the various risk factors, hypocalcemia has been suggested as a possible contributor to the development of preeclampsia. To determine the association between serum calcium levels and preeclampsia in pregnant women.

Methods This case-control study was conducted in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Rangpur Medical College Hospital, Rangpur, Bangladesh. Ethical approval and institutional permission were obtained before data collection. Pregnant women with gestational age ≥20 weeks, including 50 preeclamptic women and 50 normotensive pregnant women, were enrolled according to predefined selection criteria. Detailed clinical history, physical examination and relevant laboratory investigations were performed. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 23. Chi-square test was applied for categorical variables and unpaired t-test for continuous variables. A p value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results Women with preeclampsia were significantly younger, with 40.0% aged <20 years compared to 12.0% in controls (p<0.001). Overweight and obesity were more common among preeclamptic women (66.0% and 24.0%, respectively), whereas most controls had normal BMI (84.0%). Preeclamptic women had significantly higher pulse rate and blood pressure. Mean serum calcium and corrected serum calcium levels were significantly lower in the preeclampsia group (7.38±0.37 mg/dl and 7.61±0.17 mg/dl) compared with controls (9.07±0.53 mg/dl and 9.10±0.62 mg/dl). Hypocalcemia was observed in 80.0% and 84.0% of preeclamptic women based on serum calcium and corrected calcium, respectively. No significant difference in calcium levels was found between moderate and severe preeclampsia.

Conclusions Low serum calcium is significantly associated with preeclampsia, suggesting hypocalcemia may play a role in its pathogenesis.