Abstract:
Background: In Sri Lanka, approximately 10-15% of pregnancies encounter pregnancy
related hypertensive disorders. These conditions embark unfavorable outcomes for both
mothers and infants. Uric acid is primarily eliminated through the kidneys and serves as an
element in understanding the intricacies of hypertensive disorders.
Objective: To investigate the serum uric acid level among pregnant women with normal blood
pressure and pregnancy-induced hypertension.
Methods: This is a population based analytical cross sectional study conducted at the Antenatal
clinic, Teaching Hospital Jaffna. In this study, 34 normal pregnant women and 34 pregnant
women with pregnancy-induced hypertension (140/90 mmHg on two or more occasion and
without proteinuria) were enlisted. Serum uric acid levels were measured by the uricase
method. Ethical approval was obtained from Ethical Review Committee, Faculty of Medicine,
University of Jaffna. Independent sample t-test was carried out to compare the mean values of
serum uric acid between Group 1 and Group 2 pregnant women.
Results: Age of total participants ranged from 18-43 years. The serum uric acid level ranged
from 1.73 -6.77 mg/dL among the total population. The selected pregnant women were
categorized into 18-25, 26-34 and 35-43 years and the differences in mean serum uric acid
levels within these age groups were did not differ significantly (p>0.05). Group-1 and Group-
2 pregnant women had the mean serum uric acid level of 3.04 (±0.49) and 4.66 (±0.89) mg/dL
respectively. Mean serum uric acid level of pregnancy-induced hypertension women [4.66
(±0.89) mg/dL] was significantly (p<0.001) elevated than that of normotensive pregnant
women [3.04 (±0.49) mg/dL].
Conclusions: Our study highlights a significant elevation in serum uric acid level among
individuals with pregnancy induced hypertension compared to the normotensive group.
Suggesting its potential utility as a marker for early detection of pre-eclampsia-like pregnancy-
induced hypertensive diseases.
