Publication:

Correlation of serum C-reactive protein level with severity of preeclampsia

Background Preeclampsia is a hypertensive disorder unique to pregnancy, characterized by elevated blood pressure and proteinuria after 20 weeks of gestation. It is associated with systemic inflammation and generalized endothelial dysfunction. C-reactive protein (CRP), a sensitive marker of inflammation, has been implicated in the pathophysiology of preeclampsia. This study aims to assess serum CRP levels in preeclamptic women and determine its correlation with disease severity.

Methods A case-control study was conducted over a two-month period at the department of biochemistry and department of obstetrics and gynaecology, Gauhati medical college and hospital. A total of 60 pregnant women were enrolled-30 preeclamptic patients (15 mild, 15 severe) and 30 normotensive pregnant controls-based on strict inclusion and exclusion criteria. Serum CRP levels were measured using the Vitros 5600 integrated system. Data were analyzed using the independent t test and Pearson’s correlation coefficient. A p<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results The mean serum CRP level in preeclamptic patients was significantly higher (14.63±1.99 mg/l) than in normotensive controls (5.98±1.86 mg/l) (p<0.001). Among the preeclamptic group, severe cases had significantly higher CRP levels (16.23±1.06 mg/l) compared to mild cases (13.03±1.28 mg/l) (p<0.001). CRP levels showed a strong positive correlation with both systolic and diastolic blood pressures (DBP) in both mild (r=0.97 and r=0.98, respectively) and severe (r=0.95 and r=0.93, respectively) preeclampsia groups.

Conclusions Serum CRP levels are elevated in preeclampsia compared to normal pregnancy and increase further with disease severity.