ASSOCIATION OF SERUM CALCIUM AND MAGNESIUM LEVELS WITH PRE-ECLAMPSIA AND ECLAMPSIA IN PATIENTS ATTENDING TERTIARY CARE OF PESHAWAR

Abstract

: In developing countries, women of reproductive age are frequently confronted with deficiencies in both micro and macro nutrients.  There is epidemiological evidence linking insufficient calcium in the diet to an increased risk of preeclampsia, which suggests that pregnant women's altered calcium metabolism plays a role in the development of this condition. The aim of the study was to find out the association of serum levels of calcium and magnesium in pre-eclamptic and eclamptic pregnancies compared to normal pregnancies.

Materials and Methods: Hospital-based cross-sectional and comparative study design was chosen across three groups i.e., normotensive pregnant women, women with pre-eclampsia, and women with eclampsia. Study duration was of 6month from August  2021 till Feb 2022.  The population of the current study included pregnant women having 18 to 40 years of age having gestational age of 20 weeks or more, who are attending the HMC for antenatal or emergency obstetric care. The sample size of 150 was considered with 50 individuals in each of the three Groups. Non-probability purposive sampling technique was used. This questionnaire delivered involved the collection of demographic information (such as age, body mass index, and parity), clinical information (such as blood pressure and gestational age), and laboratory results (such as serum calcium and magnesium levels). Following the receipt of informed consent, five millilitres of venous blood were drawn from each participant and then transported to the laboratory of the hospital for examination. Standard techniques, such as spectrophotometry, were utilised in order to determine the levels of calcium and magnesium in the serum.

Results: The results showed that proteinuria and convulsions show highly significant associations with diagnosis group — confirming their diagnostic relevance. While the mean serum calcium level was significantly lower in pre-eclampsia and eclampsia groups compared to normotensive women (p < 0.001). This suggests a strong inverse relationship between calcium levels and severity of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy. Similarly, the mean serum magnesium level also showed a significant decline from normotensive to eclampsia group (p < 0.001). These findings of the study support the study objective, thus indicating that low serum calcium and magnesium levels are significantly associated with hypertensive pregnancy disorders.

Conclusion: The study found that women with eclampsia and pre-eclampsia had significantly lower serum levels of calcium and magnesium compared to those with normal pregnancies. Future research is needed to explore the potential of mineral supplementation as a preventive or therapeutic intervention in pre-eclampsia.